A Mediterranean diet can have health benefits. Stock image
A Mediterranean diet rich in vegetables, berries, nuts and olive oil could slow down brain ageing, according to a long-term study.
Experts found an effect across more than a decade in people whose diet contained lots of vegetables, fruit, nuts, fish, beans, olive oil and poultry, plus a “moderate intake” of wine, while limiting red meat, fried foods and sweets.
The diet was linked to less brain tissue loss over time, especially grey matter, and less “ventricular enlargement” which is a marker of brain ageing.
The researchers wrote that “grey matter atrophy and ventricle volume enlargement are well-established markers of brain ageing”, adding that grey matter “plays a key role in memory, learning and decision making” while ventricular enlargement reflects tissue loss.
They concluded that “foods rich in antioxidants, such as berries, and high-quality protein sources like poultry, may reduce oxidative stress and mitigate neuronal damage”.
Writing in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, experts analysed data from 1,647 people with an average age of 60.
They looked at their adherence to the “Mind” diet, which stands for the Mediterranean-Dash Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay. It is designed to support brain health and reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
All people in the study completed food frequency questionnaires and had at least two brain MRI scan assessments.
During an average monitoring period of 12 years, as people got older, they displayed loss of brain matter alongside other markers of brain loss.
But those who stuck to the diet most closely had slower grey matter shrinkage and loss.