Mediterranean Eaters Less Often Reach High Dementia Risk Scores
Graded Moderate — more than 5,000 adults were followed for over 15 years, but the study only observed and tracked an estimated risk score rather than actual dementia diagnoses.
- Design
- Prospective cohort study
- Participants
- 5,042
- Duration
- 15.8 years
- Funding
- Korean agri-food technology planning institute (IPET), Yonsei University…
People who ate a Mediterranean-style diet less often reached a high dementia risk score over more than 15 years.
Korean adults who ate a Mediterranean-style diet, or followed other healthy eating patterns, were less likely to reach a high dementia risk score over more than 15 years. Those whose diet leaned toward foods linked to inflammation got there more often. The study did not count dementia itself. It tracked a score called CAIDE, which estimates later dementia risk from age and heart and circulation risk factors.
Researchers followed 5,042 people aged 40 to 69. They rated each person's diet with four scoring systems: the Mediterranean diet, the brain-focused MIND diet, a Korean healthy eating index, and an index of foods tied to inflammation markers in the blood. Just under a third moved into the high-risk range over time.
In the third of people who ate most like the Mediterranean pattern, the risk of that shift was 22 percent lower. For the two other healthy patterns it was 20 percent lower. In the third with the most inflammation-linked diet, it was 15 percent higher. Whether these people actually develop dementia less often cannot be read from this: the study counted risk scores, not diagnoses, and it only observed.
Disclaimer: Research summaries are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making changes to your health routine.