A US research team has determined that Mediterranean diet foods are associated with slower brain aging. This means that they offer years of extra, healthier life, while also counteracting cognitive decline. Olive oil, dried fruit, cereals and fish, in the context of a healthy eating pattern, could offer a “shield” against neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease.
There Mediterranean diet is considered among the most healthy absolutely – if not the best, from a point of view nutritional – and a new study adds a further piece to support his opinion valuable benefits. The foods that characterize it, such as olive oildried fruit, Whole grains, legumesfresh fruit and vegetables, seafood and fish, contain substances associated with a slower brain aging. This means that they offer years of extra life and above all healthyeven from an exquisite point of view cognitive. Researchers have highlighted the positive association between nutrients of the Mediterranean diet and a brain healthier after having conducted a series of in-depth and transversal investigations, which go far beyond the “simple” nutritional questionnairesoften involved in observational studies.
The study was conducted by an American research team led by scientists from the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology at the University of Illinois, who collaborated closely with colleagues from the Department of Psychology and the Laboratory of Decision Neuroscience at the University of Illinois. University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The researchers, coordinated by Professor Aron K. Barbey, director at the Center for Brain, Biology and Behavior of the University of Urbana, reached their conclusions after analyzing the data of approximately one hundred elderly people. The participants, aged between 65 and 75 and all cognitively healthy at baseline, underwent a series of functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to analyze the structure, function and metabolism of the brain (multimodal neuroimaging). They also conducted a series of standardized tests so that the researchers could measure language, memory, reaction speed and other cognitive parameters. Finally, through blood sampling, the researchers went on the hunt 13 nutritional biomarkers to bring out the dietary model followed.
By cross-referencing all the clinical and demographic data, two distinct models of brain aging were identified, one slower and one more rapid, each associated with a specific nutritional profile. The slower one was characterized by a series of blood biomarkers derived from “good” nutrients, present in typical foods of the Mediterranean diet. Among them antioxidantstwo forms of Vitamin E, carotenoids like cis-lutein, trans-lutein and zeaxanthin and numerous fatty acids, such as alpha linolenic, gondoic, elcosapentaenoic, eicosadienoic acids and others. They are present in olive oil, pumpkin, almonds, spinach, carrots, fish, eggs, soy and other typical foods of our diet, UNESCO oral and intangible heritage of humanity since 2010. These foods had already been in the past associated with several health benefits, such as protection frominflammationa better one longevity And anti-tumor propertiesbut the new study also highlights a significant link against neurodegeneration. In simple words, the Mediterranean diet could represent a sort of “shield” againstAlzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.
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“The unique aspect of our study lies in its comprehensive approach, integrating data on nutrition, cognitive function and brain imaging,” Professor Barbey said in a press release. “This allows us to build a more robust understanding of the relationship between these factors. We go beyond simply measuring cognitive performance with traditional neuropsychological tests. Instead, we simultaneously examine the structure, function, and metabolism of the brain, demonstrating a direct link between these brain properties and cognitive abilities. Furthermore, we demonstrate that these brain properties are directly linked to diet and nutrition, as revealed by the patterns observed in nutrient biomarkers,” he said.
The scientists’ next step will be to administer it to a sample of patients nutraceutical products based on the precious compounds linked to the Mediterranean diet to verify whether they can trigger the same benefits also in people who follow (or have followed in the past) other dietary models. The details of the research “Investigating nutrient biomarkers of healthy brain aging: a multimodal brain imaging study” were published in the scientific journal NPJ.
