A number of studies have suggested that eating a healthy diet may reduce a person’s risk of dementia.
In a study from Lund University in Sweden, scientists found that two diets, including the Mediterranean diet, are not linked to a reduced risk of dementia.
The Mediterranean diet includes a high intake of vegetables, legumes, fruits, fish and healthy fats such as olive oil, and a low intake of dairy products, meats and saturated fatty acids.
Previous studies on the effects of diet on dementia risk have had mixed results.
In the current study, the team examined 28,000 people from Sweden. Participants had an average age of 58 and did not have dementia at the start of the study. They were followed over a 20-year period.
During the study, participants filled out a seven-day food diary, a detailed food frequency questionnaire and completed an interview.
By the end of the study, 1,943 people, or 6.9%, were diagnosed with dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia.
Researchers examined how closely participants’ diets aligned with conventional dietary recommendations and the Mediterranean diet.
They did not find a link between following either a conventional diet or the Mediterranean diet and a reduced risk of dementia.
The team says while this study does not rule out a possible association between diet and dementia, they did not find a link in our study, which had a long follow-up period, included younger participants than some other studies and did not require people to remember what foods they had eaten regularly years before.
They note that further research is needed to confirm the findings.
A limitation of the study was the risk of participants misreporting their own dietary and lifestyle habits.
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The study was conducted by Isabelle Glans et al and published in Neurology.
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