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Mediterranean diet and brain structure in a multiethnic elderly cohort
Yian Gu1, Adam M Brickman2, Yaakov Stern2
1From The Taub Institute for Research in Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain (Y.G., A.M.B., Y.S., C.G.H., O.R.R., J.A.L., J.J.M., N. Schupf, R.M., N. Scarmeas), The Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center (A.M.B., Y.S., C.G.H., J.A.L., J.J.M., N. Schupf, R.M., N. Scarmeas), the Department of Neurology (Y.G., A.M.B., Y.S., C.G.H., J.J.M., R.M.), the Department of Medicine (J.A.L.), and the Division of Epidemiology, Joseph P. Mailman School of Public Health (J.A.L., N. Schupf), Columbia University, New York, NY; and the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens Medical School (N. Scarmeas), Greece. yg2121@columbia.edu.
Higher adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MeDi) in older adults is linked to greater brain volume and cortical thickness. This dietary pattern may help preserve brain structure, comparable to delaying aging by five years.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Nutritional Science
- Gerontology
Background:
- Brain aging is associated with structural changes like reduced brain volume and cortical thickness.
- Dietary patterns, such as the Mediterranean diet (MeDi), are hypothesized to influence cognitive health and brain structure.
- Understanding the relationship between diet and brain health is crucial for developing strategies to mitigate age-related cognitive decline.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between adherence to a Mediterranean-type diet (MeDi) and brain structure in older adults.
- To determine if higher MeDi adherence correlates with larger brain volumes and/or cortical thickness.
- To identify specific food groups within the MeDi that may contribute to brain structural benefits.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study involving 674 elderly adults (mean age 80.1 years) without dementia.
- High-resolution structural MRI scans were used to measure total brain volume (TBV), total gray matter volume (TGMV), total white matter volume (TWMV), and mean cortical thickness (mCT).
- Dietary information was collected via food frequency questionnaires, and regression models were used to analyze associations, adjusting for relevant covariates.
Main Results:
- Higher MeDi adherence was significantly associated with larger TBV, TGMV, and TWMV compared to lower adherence.
- Increased fish intake and decreased meat intake were linked to larger TGMV and TBV.
- Higher fish intake was also associated with greater mean cortical thickness (mCT).
Conclusions:
- Adherence to the Mediterranean diet is associated with reduced brain atrophy in older adults, potentially mitigating age-related brain structure decline.
- The observed effect of MeDi adherence on brain structure is comparable to the effect of aging approximately five years less.
- Higher consumption of fish and lower consumption of meat appear to be key dietary components driving the neuroprotective benefits of the MeDi.
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