The diet that could cut dementia risk by almost 25%

So, what is a Mediterranean diet exactly? Broadly speaking, it includes lots of fruits, vegetables, legumes and pulses, as well as nuts, whole grains, fish and unsaturated fats such as olive oil. It also involves moderate amounts of dairy (cheese and yoghurt mostly) and small quantities of meat and saturated fat, such as butter.

There are various technical definitions of a Mediterranean diet, which can slightly differ. So, to make this study as accurate as possible, scientists used two types of scoring systems (Mediterranean Diet Adherence Screener and Mediterranean diet Pyramid).

Shannon says the findings suggested the following offered the most potential protection against dementia:

Olive oil as the main cooking fatAt least 400g of vegetables per day (5 x 80g servings), with at least 200g of this consumed raw or as saladAt least 240g of fruit per day (3 x 80g servings), including no more than 100ml of natural fruit juiceLess than 100–150g of red or processed meat per dayLess than 12g of butter or margarine per dayFewer than one sweet, fizzy drink per dayOne small glass of wine (125ml) per dayAt least 3 x 150g servings of legumes each weekAt least 3 x 100-150g servings of fish or shellfish each week, ideally including at least one portion of oily fishFewer than three servings per week of shop bought cakes, cookies, pastries, or dessertsAt least 3 x 30g servings of nuts per weekConsuming more poultry than red meatAt least two servings each week of dishes made with a sauce base of tomato, onion, leek, or garlic and simmered with olive oil

No single food on its own reduced the risk of dementia, Shannon says. Rather, they all probably worked together.

“The data suggests that all of the components are important in their own right. It’s an amalgamation of all the different benefits of lots of different things.”

The study looked at the impact of the Mediterranean diet on dementia as a whole, as opposed to separating out specific types such as Alzheimer’s disease. “But there are other studies which have suggested eating a Mediterranean diet is probably good for reducing Alzheimer’s risk,” Shannon points out. “We don’t have as much evidence for other sub-types of dementia like vascular dementia, but we might expect that a Mediterranean diet would help protect against them as well.”