Mediterranean diet could reduce memory problems later on in life

A study has claimed that following a ‘Mediterranean diet’ can be linked with preserving cognitive function.

Academics at the University of Alabama and University of Athens tested 17,478 people to see how closely they followed a healthy Mediterranean diet, which encourage people to eat foods such as fruit vegetables and olive oil, and avoid saturated fat and red meat.

They tested whether the diet influenced people’s chances of having memory related illnesses in older age, and found that the diet could have a positive effect on preserving people’s cognitive function.

Jessica Smith, research officer at Alzheimer’s Society said: “It’s not just sun, sea and sand that make a Mediterranean lifestyle attractive. Studies have consistently shown that following a Mediterranean diet packed with olive oil, vegetables and chicken and low in saturated fats may help stave off memory problems in later life.

“Though there is currently no cure for dementia, this study shows that the choices we make about our lifestyle can have a big impact on our brain health. One in three people over the age of 65 will develop dementia so we need more research to bring forward effective treatments and ultimately a cure.”

Over a four year period, academics carried out tests to measure participant’s memory and thinking abilities, and found that people following the diet were 19 per cent less likely to develop thinking and memory problems than those who did not.

They also found that comparatively, the 17 per cent of participants with diabetes did not have the same reduction of risk.

Alzheimer’s Society research has found that 800,000 people in the UK are living with a form of dementia, which is a figure they have claimed with rise to one million within ten years.

The Society has continued to champion the rights of people living with the disease, and have promoted the importance of a healthy lifestyle to minimise the risk of having health problems later in life.

The results of the study have been published in online journal ‘Neurology’ this week.