A new study has found that eating a Mediterranean-style diet can help reduce the risk of dementia by almost a quarter. The diet, rich in seafood, fruit, and nuts, was found to have a 23% lower risk of dementia compared to those who did not follow the diet. The research is one of the most extensive studies of its kind, covering over 60,000 individuals from the UK Biobank cohort. The participants were scored based on how closely their diet matched the key features of a Mediterranean one. The research found that a high intake of healthy plant-based foods may be an essential intervention for future strategies to reduce dementia risk.

The study analyzed each individual’s genetic risk for dementia, measuring all the genes related to the risk of dementia. The authors found no significant interaction between the polygenic risk for dementia and the associations between Mediterranean diet adherence. This may indicate that a better diet could reduce the likelihood of developing the condition, even for those with a higher genetic risk. The authors propose further research to assess the interaction between diet and genetics on dementia risk.

Dementia impacts the lives of millions of individuals worldwide, and there are currently limited options for treating this condition. Finding ways to reduce our risk of developing dementia is, therefore, a major priority for researchers and clinicians. The study suggests that eating a Mediterranean-style diet could be one strategy to help individuals lower their risk of dementia. The good news from this study is that even for those with a higher genetic risk, having a better diet reduced the likelihood of developing dementia.

The authors caution that their analysis is limited to individuals who self-reported their ethnic background as white, British, or Irish. Genetic data was only available based on European ancestry. Further research is needed in various populations to determine the potential benefit. The authors conclude that a Mediterranean diet with a high intake of healthy plant-based foods may be an essential intervention to incorporate into future strategies to reduce dementia risk.

The study was published in the journal BMC Medicine.

References

• Mediterranean diet associated with decreased risk of dementia. (2023, March 14). Newcastle University Press Office; Newcastle University. http://www.ncl.ac.uk/press/articles/latest/2023/03/mediterraneandietdecreaseddementiarisk/
• Shannon, O. M., Ranson, J. M., Gregory, S., Macpherson, H., Milte, C., Lentjes, M., Mulligan, A., McEvoy, C., Griffiths, A., Matu, J., Hill, T. R., Adamson, A., Siervo, M., Minihane, A. M., Muniz-Tererra, G., Ritchie, C., Mathers, J. C., Llewellyn, D. J., & Stevenson, E. (2023). Mediterranean diet adherence is associated with lower dementia risk, independent of genetic predisposition: Findings from the UK Biobank prospective cohort study. BMC Medicine, 21(1), 81. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-023-02772-3