Dementia is one of the most dreaded and widespread neurodegenerative diseases worldwide, affecting millions of people each year. This disease attacks the brain and can cause severe cognitive and behavioral difficulties, impacting the quality of life of the patient and his family members.
However, there are some dietary habits that could reduce the risk of developing this disease.
A recent study published in BMC Medicine analyzed adherence to the Mediterranean diet and the risk of dementia in a large sample of individuals.
In this photo gallery, we will explore the details of the study and the benefits of the Mediterranean diet for dementia prevention.
Dementia is one of the most dreaded and widespread neurodegenerative diseases worldwide, affecting millions of people each year. This disease attacks the brain and can cause severe cognitive and behavioral difficulties, impacting the quality of life of the patient and his or her family members. However, there are certain dietary habits that could reduce the risk of developing this disease. A recent study published in BMC Medicine analyzed adherence to the Mediterranean diet and the risk of dementia in a large sample of individuals.
A traditional Mediterranean diet, characterized by the consumption of vegetables, fruits and legumes, may reduce the risk of developing dementia. This is the finding of the study published in BMC Medicine. According to the results of the research, those who followed this diet had a dementia risk up to 23 percent lower than those who did not.
To come to these conclusions, the researchers analyzed data from 60,298 individuals from the UK Biobank who had completed a dietary assessment. The authors used two measures to assess adherence to the Mediterranean diet. During follow-up, there were 882 cases of dementia.
The study authors considered each participant's individual genetic risk by estimating their polygenic risk, a measure of all the different genes related to dementia risk. The results showed that the Mediterranean diet reduced the risk of dementia regardless of individual genetic risk.
Despite the positive results, the study has some limitations. The participants were primarily white, British or Irish individuals, and genetic data were available only on the basis of European ancestors. Therefore, further research is needed on a broader set of populations. However, based on the findings from this study, the authors concluded that following a Mediterranean diet may help ward off the risk of dementia: worth considering.