The Mediterranean Diet: A Delicious Way to Reduce Your Risk of Dementia

The Mediterranean diet has become popular in recent years due to its numerous health benefits. Studies have shown that following a Mediterranean diet can reduce the risk of developing dementia. The diet is rich in seafood and plant-based foods, and those who stick most closely to it experience upto 23% lowered risk of dementia.

The Mediterranean diet has an impressive list of science-based facts supporting it, as it can also prevent cognitive decline, help the heart, reduce diabetes, prevent bone loss, encourage weight loss, and more.

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What Is Included in the Mediterranean Diet?

The Mediterranean cuisine places a lot of emphasis on plant-based foods. Each meal should include primarily fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes, seeds, and a few nuts. It is often recommended to use extra virgin olive oil in cooking. Seldom, if ever, is butter and other fats consumed.

Confections and goods with a refined sugar and flour base are rare in this diet. Meat only features when it is necessary to season a meal. Instead, meals may have fewer servings of eggs, dairy, and poultry than the average Western diet. Another is fish, which is a common food and high in omega-3 fatty acids, which helps the brain.

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What Is the Link between the Mediterranean Diet and Dementia?

An international team of researchers found in a study that was published in the journal BMC Medicine that people who most closely followed a Mediterranean cuisine had a risk for dementia that was up to 23% lower than people who followed the diet less closely. The study included 60,298 participants who were followed for over nine years as part of the UK Biobank study.

There were 882 cases of dementia among the cohort during the study period. The people were White British or Irish and ranged in age from 40 to 69. Two distinct questionnaires that have been extensively utilized in previous studies on the diet were used to evaluate how closely they adhered to it.

Benefits of this cuisine (image via Pexels/Ella Olson)

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What Are the Other Benefits of the Mediterranean Diet?

According to studies, Mediterranean cuisine can assist the heart, lower blood sugar, prevent diabetes, stop bone loss, promote weight loss, and avoid cognitive decline.

In fact, a recent study found that individuals who followed the MIND and Mediterranean diets had lower levels of the disease's signature tau tangles and sticky beta-amyloid plaques in their autopsied brains. Dementia includes Alzheimer's.

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How Can You Adapt the Mediterranean Diet to Your Lifestyle?

The advantages of a Mediterranean cuisine, according to Duane Mellor, a senior lecturer and registered dietitian at Aston University in Birmingham, UK, go beyond the minerals the food provides. Those who socialize more had a decreased risk of dementia and other illnesses, according to Mellor, who was not involved in the research. The lecturer noted,

"The Mediterranean style of eating is not only about food on plates, it's about the social connections associated to food."

Consider adding more plant-based foods to your meals, choosing fish over meat, and substituting extra-virgin olive oil for butter to make the Mediterranean diet fit your lifestyle. Moreover, make an effort to socialize over food more often and share meals with loved ones and friends.

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Mediterranean cuisine is an excellent way of eating that has numerous health benefits, including reducing the risk of developing dementia. By incorporating more plant-based foods, fish, and extra-virgin olive oil into your meals, you can enjoy the benefits of this healthy and delicious way of eating.