In a recent study, researchers found that a Mediterranean diet boosts cognitive abilities in old age. The results showed that green leafy vegetables in particular and less meat later in lifestimulates brain activity. Close adherence to a Mediterranean diet was associated with higher scores on a series of memory and reasoning tests in older people. However, this study found no connection between the Mediterranean diet and better brain health.
Good reasons for a Mediterranean diet in old age
Biomarkers of healthy brain aging did not differ between those who regularly consumed a Mediterranean diet and those who did not. These latest findings suggest that plant-based diets may have benefits for cognitive function as we age. The research team tested the thinking skills of more than 500 people aged 79 and without dementia. Participants completed tests of problem solving, thinking speed, memory and word knowledge, and a questionnaire about their eating habits over the past year. More than 350 members of the group underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to gain insight into their brain structure. The team used statistical models to look for links between a person's diet and their thinking skills and brain health later in life.
The results show that people who adhered most to a Mediterranean diet generally had the highest cognitive function scores. This is true even when IQ, smoking, physical activity, and childhood health factors are taken into account. The differences were small but statistically significant. The individual dietary components that appeared to be most strongly linked to better thinking skills were leafy green vegetables and lower red meat intake. This study adds to evidence that a healthier lifestyle, of which healthy eating is one aspect, is associated with better thinking skills later in life. In the sample, the positive relationship betweenMediterranean dietand thinking skills are not explained by a healthier brain structure. Other structural or functional brain correlates could correlate with this level of nutrition or association. However, this applies to specific brain regions and not to the entire brain, as inthis studymeasured.
