Elderly People Should Eat a Mediterranean Diet In Order To Maintain a Healthy Brain, Says New Study

09 Aug 2016 --- A new study conducted by the Alzheimers Association has revealed that consuming a Mediterranean diet may be the key to maintaining good brain health into old age.

The new research, conducted in the Mayo Clinic Study of Aging, looked specifically at the brain health of elderly people. The research involved looking at 672 participants, all of who were between the ages of 70 and 89.

At the start of the trial, all participants were considered both physically and cognitively healthy, with no signs of dementia, chronic illness or terminal illnesses. 

During the study, participants were required to track and report their diets, as well as partaking in tests designed to test their language, visual special skills, cognitive impairment and overall memory. 

As brain health can be measured by the cortical thickness of the lobes, researchers also used MRI scans to measure the cortical thickness of several regions of the brain on an on-going basis.

The MRI results showed that participants who consumed a Mediterranean diet had a higher cortical thickness in all lobes in the brain. 

This is not the first time that The Mediterranean diet, which includes foods such as fish, nuts, lean meat, legumes, whole grains, fruits, vegetables and healthy fats, has been associated with health benefits. Previous studies have also linked it to better heart and bone health.

Researchers noted that higher legume and fish intake, in particular, was associated with greater cortical thickness, and that a higher intake of sugar and carbohydrates resulted in lower entorhinal cortical thickness.

However, more studies into the relationship between brain structure and diet are required before conclusions can be drawn, and researchers stated that these cross-sectional findings require validation in prospective studies.