Archive · 13 Sep 2025
Mediterranean Diet May Protect Memory, Reduce Dementia Risk
Imagine your brain is like a garden.
Some people have a weed in their garden called Alzheimer's disease.
This study found that eating a special diet, like the Mediterranean diet, can help keep the weeds from growing.
This diet is filled with fruits, vegetables, and healthy fats.
It is like giving your garden good food so it can fight off the weeds.
The study showed this diet can help people who are already at higher risk of Alzheimer's, like those with certain genes.
So, eating well might help keep your brain healthy as you get older!
Study suggests a Mediterranean-style diet can reduce dementia risk.
The diet's protective effect is strongest in those with high genetic risk.
Researchers analyzed data from thousands of participants.
Participants followed a Mediterranean-style diet showed slower cognitive decline.
The APOE4 gene variant is a strong genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's.
- Who
- Researchers from Mass General Brigham, Harvard, and the Broad Institute
- What
- Studied the impact of a Mediterranean diet on dementia risk and cognitive decline.
- When
- The study followed participants from 1989-2023 and 1993-2023.
- Where
- Nurses' Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study
- Why
- To explore how a Mediterranean diet may reduce dementia risk, especially in individuals with higher genetic risk.
- Study Focus
- Mediterranean-style diet and dementia risk
- Lead Researchers
- Mass General Brigham, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Broad Institute
- Key Finding
- Mediterranean diet reduces dementia risk, especially for those with high genetic risk
- Study Participants
- 4,215 women from 1989-2023; 1,490 men from 1993-2023
- Primary Gene
- APOE4 (strongest genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's)