Can a Mediterranean Diet Lower Alzheimer Risk?

Adhering to a Mediterranean diet high in plant foods, fresh fruit and vegetables, cereals, beans, seeds, nuts, and legumes is linked to cognitive function improvements and reduced conversion to Alzheimer disease, according to a new study.

In analyzing all available papers between 2000 and 2015 that evaluated the impact of a Mediterranean diet on cognitive processes over time, researchers found 18 articles (out of 135) that met their criteria.
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In the papers the authors analyzed, they found that attention, memory, and language improved among individuals maintaining a Mediterranean diet. Memory was especially affected by the Mediterranean diet—the investigators saw improvements in delayed recognition, long-term and working memory, executive function, and visual constructs. The authors noted that these benefits were not limited to older individuals, given that in 2 of the included studies, younger adults saw improvements in cognition.

"A quality diet appears to be important for maintaining a healthy brain and slowing the rate of cognitive decline leading to disorders such as Alzheimer disease," said lead author Roy J. Hardman, a PhD candidate at the Centre for Human Psychopharmacology at Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne, Australia.

"The Mediterranean diet was specifically reviewed, but this dietary approach also maps into other culturally based healthy diets with different forms of leafy greens, fruit and vegetables, fish, etc," said Hardman, adding that olive oil is "very unique" to the Mediterranean diet.

These findings "highlight the importance of diet for cognitive and brain health," said Dr Helen Macpherson, a dementia research fellow at the Centre for Physical Activity and Nutrition Research at Deakin University in Melbourne, Australia.

While Dr Macpherson noted a growing understanding of the importance of managing vascular risk factors to help lower dementia risk, she said the results of this study "suggest that overall diet should be a significant consideration as well."

"Primary care practitioners play a vital role in terms of patient education; therefore, conversations around diet are essential," she said. "With regard to the optimum diet to promote healthy brain aging, patients should be encouraged to consume a variety of fresh foods and limit consumption of highly processed foods."

—Mark McGraw

Reference:

Hardman RJ, Kennedy G, Macpherson H, Scholey AB, Pipingas A. Adherence to a Mediterranean-style diet and effects on cognition in adults: a qualitative evaluation and systematic review of longitudinal and prospective trials [published online July 22, 2016]. Front Nutr. doi:10.3389/fnut.2016.00022.