Can the health of the brain be affected by what we eat? Researchers from the University of Athens believe they have uncovered evidence that the Mediterranean diet can help reduce the likelihood of dementia by nearly 20 percent.
Not only is the Mediterranean diet excellent for cardiovascular health and the prevention of obesity and type 2 Diabetes, new research has indicated that it also seems to be beneficial to the health of the brain. [1]
In a study conducted on more than 17,000 participants over the age of 45, the subjects were ranked on their adherence to the Mediterranean diet, made to fill out periodic questionnaires and also tested for mental function. After four years, approximately 1,200 subjects experienced cognitive impairment. However, the subjects with the highest adherence to the Mediterranean diet were determined to be nearly 20 percent less likely to experience similar cognitive deterioration. The study was published in the medical journal Neurology.
The population with type 2 diabetes — about 2,900 subjects — didn’t experience any difference in cognitive deterioration, even when adherence to the Mediterranean diet was factored, however. It isn’t clear why there seemed to be no effect upon this group.
Although this study provides some interesting insight, the results of observational studies are often difficult, if not impossible, to duplicate. Clearly, clinical research is needed to substantiate the theories posited by the study authors. While the question of the Mediterranean diet affecting the possibility of suffering from mental decline is tenuous, it certainly wouldn’t hurt the body to follow the diet’s guidelines.
The Mediterranean diet consists primarily of whole grains, nuts, fish, poultry, vegetables, fruits and olive oil, with minimal red meat and dairy, and no sweets or processed carbohydrates. The New England Journal of Medicine recently published a study which determined that adherence to the Mediterranean diet reduced the risk of death from heart disease in people at high risk for heart attack by 30 percent. The results of the study were so startling that the medical researchers terminated it early because they felt it would be medically irresponsible to encourage the test group not on the Mediterranean diet to continue to deprive themselves of the benefits after the results had been so clearly indicated. [2]
By Michael Omidi
[1] Bakalar, Nicholas: The Mediterranean Diet’s Benefits New York Times 4/30/2013 http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/04/30/the-mediterranean-diets-brain-benefits/?ref=nutrition
[2] Kolata, Gina: Mediterranean Diet Shown to Ward Off Heart Attack and Stroke New York Times 2/25/2013 http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/26/health/mediterranean-diet-can-cut-heart-disease-study-finds.html?pagewanted=all
MICHAEL OMIDI, MD, FACS 