Benefits of Nordic diet on cognition confirmed by systematic review of studies

15 Aug 2023 --- Researchers from Kerman University of Medical Sciences in Iran scrolled 627 studies in PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus databases to find evidence of links between the Nordic diet (ND) or Baltic Sea diet, and protective effects on neurological function.

“The current state of knowledge attributes the possible effects of characteristic components of the ND to its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, lipid-lowering, gut-brain-axis modulating and ligand activities in cell signaling pathways,” the researchers conclude.

The ND is a recommended dietary approach for improving neurological function and brain health based on existing evidence.

In addition, researchers from the University of Copenhagen, the College of Applied Medical Sciences in Saudi Arabia and the Novo Nordisk Foundation identified a scientific model that predicts the likelihood of achieving a clinically significant weight loss on ND.

Finding the benefits
The researchers performed a systematic review from the databases’ inception up to February 2023. Observational studies evaluated the association of ND with cognition, stroke and neuropsychological function, while intervention studies investigated the effects of ND on cognition and depression.

Previous research shows that in the Danish population, a higher ND score is related to an 11% lower mortality rate.

A high ND score indicates a high intake of different healthy food items, including vegetables, legumes, whole grains (rye, oat, and barley), fruits (berries, apples, and pears), low-fat dairy, rapeseed oil, low-fat types of meat (game and poultry), shellfish, fatty fish (mackerel, herring, and salmon), seafood and salt restriction, with a low intake of sugar-sweetened products and moderate alcohol consumption. Collective research shows that ND can positively affect cognition and depression.

Moreover, the diet relies on abundant consumption of berries to release antioxidants, flavonoids and other bioactive compounds, which positively affect cognitive performance. 

Growing scientific validation 
According to researchers, lifestyle factors such as diet are increasingly recognized as an essential determinant of neurological function. 

For example, the Western diet, high in saturated fat, refined sugars and processed foods, may cause learning and memory impairment. In contrast, the Mediterranean, vegetarian and Nordic diets could have protective qualities for cognitive health.

The researchers note that there has been a steep increase in people suffering from neurological disorders such as depression, anxiety, migraine, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease. 

These diseases significantly deplete “quality of life” and include complications such as weakness, confusion, loss of sensation, chronic pain, seizures and poor coordination.

Incidentally, these disorders are often precursors for cardiometabolic conditions such as obesity, insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and hypertension.

By Inga de Jong