People who strictly adhere to the Mediterranean diet have an almost one-quarter reduced risk of developing dementia in old age. This conclusion was reached by scientists who analyzed the diets and diseases of more than 60,000 people, according to the study. published in BMC medicine.
Identifying the risks of developing dementia has become an important task for scientists in light of the rising costs of fighting this disease in many countries around the world. In one of the latest studies on this subject, an international team of researchers showed that the regular use of laxatives significantly increases the risk of dementia in old age, and Australian scientists showed in the fall that a consumption occasional and moderate alcohol consumption, on the contrary, reduces these risks.
In a new study by British scientists led by Newcastle University’s Oliver Shannon, the authors attempted to establish a link between the characteristics of a person’s diet throughout their lifetime and the likelihood of develop dementia in old age. Specifically, they set out to find out how the Mediterranean diet, popular in different countries, affects these risks.
Its main characteristics are a high consumption of plant foods (fruits, vegetables, nuts and cereals), olive oil; a moderate consumption of fish and poultry, as well as a low consumption of dairy products, red meat, cold cuts and sweets.
In the study, scientists analyzed the nutritional habits of 60,298 people over the age of 60 who responded to relevant surveys between 2006 and 2010, and for each person, based on their diet, a numerical rating of their adherence to the Mediterranean diet was given. To identify a possible link between diet and the likelihood of dementia, the scientists followed the respondents’ lives several years later.
It turned out that 9 years after participating in the experiment, this diagnosis was made to 882 people. Data analysis, which took into account factors such as gender, age, level of education, showed that the risk of dementia in people who strictly adhere to the Mediterranean diet is 23% lower than that of those who do not adhere to it.
“This large cohort study shows an association between adherence to a Mediterranean diet and a reduced risk of dementia. These results underscore the importance of dietary advice in the development of future dementia prevention strategies, regardless of genetic predisposition,” the scientists said.
