CNN has featured data presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in London, which offer the latest support to the value of a healthy diet to late life brain function.
The study by investigators at UCSF and University of Michigan examined a national cohort for adherence to the Mediterranean diet. The Mediterranean diet is associated with lower risk for diabetes and cardiovascular disease, two conditions linked to Alzheimer’s disease.
In line with several previous studies, the investigators found that those who eat a diet composed largely of plants and healthy fats (found in fish, nuts and olive oil, for example) are at 30% lower risk for developing cognitive problems later in life. Importantly, these results related to performance on cognitive tests, not the development of Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia.
Results were similar for the MIND diet, which is similar to the Mediterranean diet but also focuses on increased foods rich in antioxidants (berries, for example) and reduced foods high in sugars and unhealthy fats.
