A Mediterranean diet supplemented by nuts or olive oil was associated with improved cognitive function in people aged 55-80 years, according to Cinta Valls-Pedret of the Institut d’Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi Sunyer, Hospital Clínic, Barcelona, Spain, and associates.
Study participants on the Mediterranean diet plus olive oil scored significantly higher on the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test and the Color Trail Test part 2, compared with the control group on Mediterranean diet alone. Participants on the nuts and olive oil Mediterranean diet either kept their memory composite, frontal cognition composite, and global cognition composite scores close to the baseline or increased them slightly, while those on the control diet saw significantly decreased scores in all areas.
“The beneficial effect of Mediterranean diets on cognition probably stems from the abundance of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory agents that they provide. The supplemental foods, extra virgin olive oil and nuts, are particularly rich in phenolic compounds that might counteract oxidative processes in the brain, leading to neurodegeneration,” the authors noted.
Find the full study in JAMA Internal Medicine (2015 May 11 [doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2015.1668]).