Mediterranean diet may not protect against dementia

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Although studies have proven the ability of the Mediterranean diet to bring many health benefits, it will not protect against senile insanity. This was the conclusion of researchers from Sweden.

Scientists from Lund University decided to investigate the role of diet in the development of dementia, as well as the ability of different types of nutrition to provide protection against senile dementia. The dietary data of about 28,000 Swedish residents over a 20-year period were analyzed.

At the beginning of the observation, the average age of the participants was 58 years, and none of them had been diagnosed with any form of dementia. They filled out food diaries that recorded the frequency of meals and the foods they consumed.

Over 20 years, 7% of the study participants were diagnosed with various types of senile dementia, including Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia. Then the scientists studied the adherence of the experiment participants to different types of nutrition, including the Mediterranean diet.

In addition, age, gender, level of education and lifestyle were taken into account. The researchers excluded those participants who were diagnosed with dementia within the first 5 years of follow-up, as it was impossible to establish the role of nutrition.

After checking all the data, the scientists did not find a significant relationship between adherence to dietary recommendations, including and adherence to a Mediterranean diet and reduced risk of all-cause dementia.

No evidence was found that adherence to any diet at all affects the presence of biomarkers associated with senile dementia. Therefore, the Mediterranean diet does not provide any additional protection against dementia.