Adopting the way the Cretans eat preserves the cognitive functions of those over 60 years old.
- The Mediterranean diet limits red meat, dairy products (cheese, butter, cream) and refined/processed products (breakfast cereals, industrial sandwich bread, prepared meals, etc.).
- Older people who follow the Mediterranean diet have an 11% lower chance of developing dementia.
- “There is a protective effect of the Mediterranean diet when all types of dementia are considered together and when only Alzheimer’s disease is taken into account,” specify the researchers behind this result.
A study done of more than 50,000 people revealed that older people who follow a Mediterranean diet have a significantly lower risk of developing dementia.
Study author Daniele Nucci and his colleagues wanted to systematize the results of previous research on the links between adherence to the Mediterranean diet and the risk of dementia in older people. They also wanted to estimate the strength of this association for different types of dementia.
To do this, they searched the PubMed, MEDLINE and SCOPUS databases for studies answering the following question: “Is greater adherence to the Mediterranean diet associated with lower risk of dementia in older adults?”.
This search yielded 682 scientific articles. After eliminating duplicates, studies in languages not understood by the researchers and studies not carried out on humans, 20 works were retained. The searches came from the United States, Greece, Australia, the Netherlands, France, Italy, China and Morocco.
Mediterranean diet: -11% risk of dementia
Using this data, the scientists carried out a meta-analysis. Their results showed that older adults who followed the Mediterranean diet had an 11% lower chance of developing dementia compared to their peers who did not follow this lifestyle. When mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease were excluded from the analysis, the reduction in odds was 6%.
“There is a protective effect of the Mediterranean diet when all types of dementia are considered together and when only Alzheimer’s disease is taken into account,” specify the authors of the study.
“Even a small percentage reduction in risk would represent a significant number of people who could potentially avoid dementia simply by increasing their adherence to the Mediterranean diet,” they add.
Dementia: what is the Mediterranean diet?
The Mediterranean diet is rich in seasonal fruits and vegetables, whole-wheat pasta, whole-wheat rice, whole-wheat bread, dried vegetables (lentils, chickpeas, beans, etc.), fish (sardines, mackerel, herring, salmon, etc.), and raw materials. fats mainly provided by vegetable oils and dried fruits (walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds, pistachio, etc.).
The Mediterranean diet limits red meat, dairy products (cheese, butter, cream) and refined/processed products (breakfast cereals, industrial sandwich bread, prepared meals, etc.).
“The Mediterranean diet, also called the Cretan diet, is a diet originating from the Mediterranean basin. It is recognized for promoting a balanced diet throughout the week. By favoring the variety of foods, it is as close as possible to dietary recommendations”, indicates the site designed by Santé Publique France mangebouger.fr.
