Mediterranean Diet and greater cognitive function
Long-term adherence to a Mediterranean diet is linked to a significantly improved cognitive function in men from The Health Professionals’ Follow-up study.
The Study, involved 51,529 men, 40–75 years of age when enrolled in 1986, of whom 27,842 were included in the primary analysis. The use of a Mediterranean diet (MD) was taken from a mean of five food frequency questionnaires, assessed every 4 years from 1986 to 2002.
Cognitive function was assessed by a 6-item questionnaire in 2008 and 2012, and validated by association with genetic variants in apolipoprotein-4. Using the average of 2008 and 2012 cognitive function scores, 38.0% of men were considered to have moderate memory scores and 7.3% were considered to have poor scores.
However, when comparing men in the highest quintile to those in the lowest quintile for adherence to a Rainbow Diet, those in the highest quintile had a 36% lower odds of poor cognitive function and 24% lower odds of a moderate cognitive function score.
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Reference
- Aridi YS, Walker JL, Wright OR. The association between the Mediterranean dietary pattern and cognitive health: a systematic review. Nutrients. 2017 Jun 28;9(7):674.
