Chicago: A Mediterranean diet may help keep the brain sharp despite signs of dementia in old age, a study has suggested.
Researchers at Rush University in Chicago, USA, found in a study that people who ate a Mediterranean diet performed better in tests of mental function despite having symptoms of Alzheimer’s.
Apart from the Mediterranean diet, other important factors in this regard include not smoking and drinking alcohol and regular exercise.
Part of the reason this diet fights dementia is thought to be its balance and long-lasting feeling of fullness (which reduces the consumption of high-calorie foods).
Doing so keeps weight stable and healthy while also reducing the risk of obesity-related blood vessel problems that can affect brain function.
Some studies claim that an abundance of fruits and vegetables also play an important role due to their rich amounts of brain-protecting antioxidants.
In the study, researchers used data from the Rush Memory and Aging Project. The study examined 24 years of autopsy data from 1997 to 2022.
The study involved 586 people who died at an average age of 91.
