How Mediterranean Diet Can Help You Live a Better Life When You Are Old?

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This study was published on Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2017 in the journal Neurology. The researchers looked at data from 843 Scottish people who were all born in 1936. The group was studied over a six-year period from 2006 to 2012. It was found that 562 Scots whose consumption patterns followed the Mediterranean diet. It was found that their brain shrinkage was half of what is normal for the group of that age.

The LA Times reported that the subjects were selected for the study had many measures of health status and lifestyle tracked from an early age. Michelle Luciano, who led the study, said, "In our study, eating habits were measured before brain volume was, which suggests that the diet may be able to provide long-term protection to the brain."

All the members of the 'Lothian Birth Cohort' were asked to fill a dietary frequency form at the age of 70 which looked at what foods they ate or avoided, and how often they consumed them. Depending on these food-frequency surveys, they were divided into two groups: one who followed Mediterranean-style diet, and others who didn't.

Their brains were scanned at the age of 73 and then again, at the age of 76 to gauge the overall brain volume and that of its key components. About 400 people lived through the two MRIs.

According to the NBC News, it was found that even though many of the people in the Med-diet group did not adhere to it strictly, the average brain-volume loss between the two groups differed significantly.

The study suggests that though shrinking of brain is a normal part of the aging process, one can stem it by following the Mediterranean diet. A larger brain in old age offers you greater protection against brain diseases. A typical Mediterranean diet includes more fruits and vegetables, less fried food, red meat and cheese, and uses olive oil for cooking and garnishing.