Mediterranean Diet Can Improve Memory in Type 2 Diabetics

Following a Mediterranean diet could improve cognitive function in people with diabetes, according to a US study that tracks nearly 1,000 diets over a two-year period.

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The Mediterranean diet includes foods traditionally eaten in countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea, including France, Greece, Italy and Spain, but the exact content of diets traditionally followed in these countries may vary .

Overall, Mediterranean diets are rich in fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, beans, cereals, grains and fish. Unsaturated fats such as olive oil are also very common in Mediterranean diets. They are also low in red meat and processed. As such, Mediterranean diets have been badociated with better cognitive and cardiac health.

The main author of the study, Josiemer Mattei of the Boston School of Public Health Harvard T.H Chan, explained the positive effects of this diet on the brain:

A healthy Mediterranean diet includes foods rich in fruits and vegetables, which [have] antioxidants, as well as in fish and oils, which contain healthy fats. These nutrients help maintain cognitive function by reducing inflammation and oxidation in the brain. "

The study, published in the journal Diabetic treatments, aimed to discover "badociations of a Mediterranean diet score (MeDS) with a two-year change in cognitive function according to type 2 diabetes and state of glycemic control." The Mediterranean diet scores would then be compared to other dietary quality scores.

Data from the Boston Puerto Rican Health Study Longitudinal Study were used to inform the study, and researchers followed and evaluated the dietary habits of 913 participants in the health study. Participants were tested for type 2 diabetes and tested for cognitive function, memory function and executive function.

To badess how closely participants followed Mediterranean diets, the researchers evaluated the amount of main ingredients of the Mediterranean diet that they had eaten during those two years. Scores were also calculated based on the amount of food consumed, two other heart health improving diets, including DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension).

Mediterranean diet supports "optimal cognitive function"

Improvements in memory function were observed in non-diabetic people who were following a Mediterranean diet, but other cognitive functions did not improve significantly. In fact, other improved heart health regimens have resulted in more marked improvement in cognitive function in people without diabetes.

However, the Mediterranean diet has significantly improved cognitive function in people with diabetes. Word recognition and needle-drawing techniques improved more than those who did not follow a Mediterranean diet.

The cognitive benefits brought by the Mediterranean diet are only visible in people whose blood sugar levels are well controlled, and the benefits are not as obvious to those who started the study with a blood glucose level poorly controlled or in those whose glycemic control has deteriorated during the course of the study.

Mattei explained that whole grains and legumes could be part of a Mediterranean diet that helps control blood sugar levels and improve overall cognitive function. The study concluded that "adhering to a Mediterranean diet and effectively managing type 2 diabetes can promote optimal cognitive function."

Increase nutrient intake and reduce food sugar

The researchers also said that a healthy diet in general can help improve cognitive function, especially memory, in people with type 2 diabetes, suggesting that the Mediterranean diet is not not the only one to bring these positive cognitive improvements.

The study included only Puerto Rican participants, which means that its findings might not extend to people of other racial and ethnic origins, or those who do not follow diets. Mediterranean. Another limitation of the study is that participants' dietary intake data were self-reported, which is vulnerable to bias and inaccuracy.

In spite of this, Allen Taylor of USDA's USDA Human Nutrition Aging Research Center at Tufts University in Boston, who did not participate in the study, said:

Eating a Mediterranean diet rich in fruits and vegetables, less rich in simple sugars, less rich in red meat and processed, with a few servings of fish a week has many beneficial effects.