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Study: Mediterranean Diet Can Reduce Risk Of Dementia

August 24, 2016

Another reason to adopt a Mediterranean-style diet: It increases the size of your cerebral cortex, the outer layer of the brain that’s a major player in vital functions such as memory, language, thought and information processing, according to a study at the Mayo Clinic Study of Aging.

In the study of 672 elderly participants, published July 25 in Alzheimer’s & Dementia, those with a higher Mediterranean diet adherence score showed significantly larger cortical thickness measurements in the frontal parietal and occipital lobes than those with lower diet adherence scores.

“Our study shows that diet impacts the structural chances in the brain that underlie the dementia syndrome,” Dr. Rosebud O. Roberts, the lead author and professor of epidemiology and neurology at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., told Medscape Medical News.

Diet habits, indeed, can reduce the risk of dementia, she said. Another report that analyzed 18 studies,showed that  dedicated Mediterranean diet was associated with improved attention, memory, language and a slowing of cognitive impairment.  The report, from the Center for Human Psychopharmacology at Swinburne University in Melbourne, Australia, indicated the results were consistent regardless of standards of measuring diet adherence or country.

“The MedDiet is an example of healthy eating that can promote a healthy aging brain,” first author Roy J. Hardmand told Medscape Medical News.

The Mediterranean Diet is also one of the best for healthy weight loss, said Angela Frankland, a registered dietitian at Windham Hospital. The Mediterranean Diet, characterized by the traditional cooking style of countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea, includes fish, lean meats, high fiber whole grains, beans, lentils, legumes and plenty of fruits and vegetables.

For more information on dementia and Alzheimer’s, visit Hartford HealthCare’s Senior Services and the Center for Healthy Aging.