Preliminary results from a large British study found that the Mediterranean diet reduced the risk of developing the brain disease by 23%.
Vegetables, nuts, fish, good fats… The Mediterranean diet would allow its regulars to reduce by almost a quarter their risk of developing dementia, whatever their genetic risk. This is revealed by the preliminary results of a British study by the UK Biobank on more than 60,000 patients, published in the journal BMC Medicine this Tuesday.
Eating a lot of plant-based dishes would therefore have a “protective effect” against dementia, according to the study. “This diet is likely to be a beneficial lifestyle choice for people looking to make healthy food choices and reduce their risk of dementia,” said lead researcher Dr Janice Ranson at the University of Exeter and co-lead author of the study.
Waiting for stronger results
Preliminary analysis of the data on these tens of thousands of Britons is not yet definitive, but reducing the risk of developing dementia remains a “major priority” for public health, according to Dr Oliver Shannon, author principal of the study.
For the moment, several scientists remain cautious about the analysis of the results of the study. According to David Curtis, professor at the Institute of Genetics at the University of London, relayed by the Guardianit is not yet known whether the adoption of such a diet directly reduces the risk of dementia or whether it is correlated with the adoption of a healthy lifestyle which, in turn, reduces the risk of dementia.
In late January, a large Chinese study found that six “healthy” behaviors were associated with slower cognitive decline than the ten-year average. Among them, healthy eating came in pole position.
According to the study, people who had four to six “healthy” behaviors had a 90% lower chance of developing dementia or cognitive impairment.
