The Mediterranean diet—which emphasizes plant-based foods, healthy fats, and lean proteins—is beloved amongst nutrition experts. Why? Aside from being delicious (who doesn’t love olive oil?!), the eating plan is linked to a long list of health benefits, including heart disease prevention, diabetes management, longevity (especially for women!), cancer prevention, alleviating menopause symptoms, and more. And a new study published this month in the journal Nature Medicine suggests the Mediterranean diet may be a powerful tool in the fight against Alzheimer’s—particularly for people who are genetically predisposed to it.
In the study, researchers looked at data from the decades-spanning Nurse’s Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study, which tracked a collective total of 5,705 men and women over several decades. Using information collected from these cohorts on genetics, blood markers, and diets, researchers hoped to see how following a Mediterranean diet factored into Alzheimer’s and related dementia risk.
“It is the only dietary pattern that has been causally linked to cognitive benefits in a randomized trial,” author Yuxi Liu, PhD, said in a press release. “We wanted to see whether this benefit might be different in people with varying genetic backgrounds.”
The findings were illuminating. Across the board, those who adhered to the Mediterranean diet had better cognitive function and a lower dementia risk compared to those who did not. These brain-protective benefits were greatest in people with multiple copies of the APOE4 gene variant—the biggest genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s. For these folks, going Mediterranean slashed their risk by 35 percent, Liu told CNN.
However, remember that diet isn’t a magic bullet for everyone. Access and affordability are obviously big factors (a fresh, produce-heavy diet isn’t exactly available to everyone!), and your genetics and lifestyle still play a meaningful role in your risk of developing Alzheimer’s. The data pool was also limited to well-educated people with European ancestry, so more diverse studies are needed to confirm if this intel is true for everyone. But what we’ve learned further bolsters decades of evidence that eating Mediterranean-style is one of the healthiest options for the body and mind alike.
So, yes, piling on that Greek salad is still a good idea. Your brain (and heart, and lifespan) will likely thank you for it.
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Sofia Lodato (she/her) is the editorial assistant at Oprah Daily. Aside from reading, writing, and wellness, she is a lover of all things media-related, and can usually be found overanalyzing her latest favorite show, album, or video game.
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