A recent study published in the journal Molecular Nutrition and Food Research has revealed a significant connection between the Mediterranean diet and reduced cognitive decline in the elderly.
This extensive research, spanning 12 years, offers a deeper understanding of how diet affects brain health in aging populations.
Led by Mireia Urpí-Sardá, the study involved 840 individuals over 65 years old, primarily from the Bourdeaux and Dijon regions in France.
Researchers developed a unique dietary metabolomic index based on biomarkers in participants’ serum, reflecting their adherence to the Mediterranean diet.
These biomarkers included levels of fatty acids, gut microbiota-derived polyphenol metabolites, and other phytochemicals that signify exposure to the diet’s main food groups.
The study’s approach was innovative, using large-scale quantitative metabolomic analysis to examine the set of metabolites in the serum of participants who were dementia-free at the study’s start.
Cognitive health was evaluated using five neuropsychological tests over the 12-year period.
The findings revealed a strong inverse association between adherence to the Mediterranean diet (as indicated by serum biomarkers) and cognitive decline in older individuals.
Implications and Advancements
This research is notable for its use of biomarkers to assess dietary patterns, a method that offers more precision and objectivity compared to traditional dietary assessments.
It accounts for critical factors like bioavailability, providing a more accurate picture of the diet’s impact on health.
Mercè Pallàs, a professor at the UB Neurosciences Institute (UBneuro), emphasizes the significance of using food-intake biomarkers for studying the benefits of specific diets.
Alba Tor-Roca, the study’s first author and CIBERFES researcher at the University of Barcelona, further supports this view, highlighting the findings’ support for using these indicators in long-term health assessments.
The study underlines the importance of personalized dietary counseling for older adults, guiding them towards diets like the Mediterranean pattern that have demonstrated long-term cognitive benefits.
By adopting such dietary habits, older individuals can significantly reduce their risk of cognitive decline, thus improving their overall quality of life as they age.
If you care about brain health ,please read studies about Vitamin B9 deficiency linked to higher dementia risk, and cranberries could help boost memory.
For more information about brain health, please see recent studies about heartburn drugs that could increase risk of dementia, and results showing this MIND diet may protect your cognitive function, prevent dementia.
The research findings can be found in Molecular Nutrition & Food Research.
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