Mediterranean diet linked to increased brain volume, say scientists

05-Jan-2017 - Last updated on 05-Jan-2017 at 14:19 GMT

More fruits, fish and wine could stop your brain shrinking ©iStock

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The traditional Mediterranean diet of fruit and vegetables, nuts, fish and wine could prevent neurological degeneration in later life, say researchers at the University of Edinburgh.

Hippocrates (470-377 BC) said: “Let food be thy medicine, and medicine be thy food”, and recent research into the diet on which he lived appears to be proving the Ancient Greek physician correct.

Better food, bigger brain

Examining the brain volumes of people with an average age of 73 in Scotland, those reporting adherence to a Mediterranean style diet were found to have endured significantly less physical brain reduction three years later than those without.

Elements included in the diet were a high consumption of fruit, pulses, cereals, nuts, fish, olive oil and a low to moderate consumption of dairy products and other meats.

The study took over 1000 participants, all born in 1936 and all with comparative cognitive abilities and levels of education. A survey was taken of their dietary habits, and three years on, those still able took an MRI brain scan.

Of the 346 remaining participants, those sticking to a Mediterranean diet had far smaller reduction in overall brain volume and cortical size (the outer area of the brain) than those who had not.

Two side studies observed no significant difference in brain volume with regard to meat and fish consumption.

Dr. Michelle Luciano, lead researcher on the study, told FoodNavigator: “Since meat and fish were not significant alone, the association could likely be due to the Mediterranean style diet as a whole.”

“Three decades ago it was noticed that Mediterranean societies, which at the time were still sticking to that traditional diet, had significantly lower levels of cardiovascular disease […]. This led into research on dietary effects on dementia and neurological health. This Scottish study is a nice example of how Mediterranean food specifically is associated with improved health, rather than other lifestyle factors.”

The specific nutritional benefits associated with the changes are unknown; Luciano said that speculation is currently centred on increased levels of vitamins E and C and higher levels of omega 3, provided by higher amounts of fish.

Anti-oxidants found in nuts and wine are also thought to contribute.

Luciano was clear that more randomised research should be done into both the possible cause of reduced brain shrinkage and the specific nutritional ingredients producing these affects in the diet.

“It’s not clear what about the diet is giving this affect […]. We can’t establish a causal relationship between the diet and brain change," she said.

"The diet measurement was taken earlier than the brain measurements and this could suggest a causal relationship.

Luciano added: "We’ve also addressed other confounding factors such as education and other health factors such as diabetes, since these can affect brain volume as well."

Source: Neurology

Published online ahead of print January 4, 2017, doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1212/WNL.0000000000003559

"Mediterranean-type diet and brain structural change from 73 to 76 years in Scottish cohort"

Authors: Michelle Luciano et al.

3 comments

Mediterranean Diet

Posted by Fran Goryan, 31 January 2017 - 21:34 GMT

Please do not think of your cheesy French sauces and Italian pizzas as part of a Mediterranean diet. I am a foody, and have traveled to many parts of the Mediterranean, and have not found what is refereed to as Mediterranean diet in effluent countries full of fat cows and fatter pigs. You will find the diet you are looking for in Egypt, Morocco, Malta, and othet Countries in the Southern Mediterranean and North African cosst. It is here the diet includes camel and goat milk, honey, pulses, fresh and dried fruit, nuts, vegetables and wine. Small portions of food produced without modern food production medling. Staples not just an occasional dietary adventure. Talk Mediterranean diet , then be specific

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Low dairy = Mediterranean diet?

Posted by chris aylmer, 06 January 2017 - 13:25 GMT

I think of Greek-style full fat yoghurt and all other kinds of yoghurt, feta cheeses, the massive selection of French cheese from cows, sheep and goats and all the cheesy sauces over Italian pasta and pizzas. I can't see how the Mediterranean diet is low in dairy. Nor can I see it is low in meat. Meat forms the staple of most French meals and where would Greece be without lamb for moussaka and kebabs, or Italy be without its parma ham and salami. It's time we stopped talking about a Mediterranean diet as it is virtually meaningless. The headline to this article mentiones fruit, vegetables, fish and wine...sounds great...no mention of all the huge amounts of dairy, meat, sugary desserts or white bread consumed in Mediterranean countries. The DASH diet would make more sense by at least specifying what we should be eating.

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Less Shrinkage vs Brain Growth

Posted by Mark JS Miller, 05 January 2017 - 15:43 GMT

This study as well as previous studies on Omega-3 fatty acids and B vitamins describes a suppression of brain shrinkage which occurs with age. The Brain does not actually grow (the cranium prevents that) but the rate of shrinkage is reduced, so you protect the volume that you have. Mechanistically it is linked to less inflammation - but the headline is misleading.

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