Mediterranean Diet & The Brain

It's always ranked near the top of “Best Diet” lists by numerous sources, and now the Mediterranean diet can add yet another feather to its cap: It's really, really good for your brain, as well as your body.

A study of older people who follow the Mediterranean diet over a three year period has determined that we retain more of our brain volume on the plan.

"As we age, the brain shrinks and we lose brain cells which can affect learning and memory," said study author Michelle Luciano, PhD, of the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. "This study adds to the body of evidence that suggests the Mediterranean diet has a positive impact on brain health."

The Mediterranean diet formally dates from the middle of the 20th century when nutritionists were inspired by the dietary patterns of Greece, Southern Italy and Spain. They documented the health benefits of eating a lot of unrefined cereals, fruits, vegetable, olive oil and legumes, along with a moderate consumption of cheese, yogurt and wine.

The test subjects all staggered their devotion to the diet's principles, and those who didn't follow as closely to the Mediterranean diet were more likely to have a higher loss of total brain volume over the three years than people who followed the diet more strictly. Adjustments were made for known brain volume influencers, such as education, age, diabetes and high blood pressure.

Notably, how much fish or meat a test subject ate had no effect on his brain. Researchers believe that the other components of the diet may be are primarily responsible for the brain changes.

"It's possible that other components of the Mediterranean diet are responsible for this relationship, or that it's due to all of the components in combination," Luciano said.

Previous studies of the Mediterranean diet took “snapshots” of the brain at single points in time. This was the first study that followed people over time.

"In our study, eating habits were measured before brain volume was, which suggests that the diet may be able to provide long-term protection to the brain," said Luciano. "Still, larger studies are needed to confirm these results."

The results of the study have been published in Neurology.