Why nuts and oils are good for the mind

In recent times the Mediterranean Diet has been receiving a lot of credit as being a healthy way to eat. The basis of the Mediterranean diet is a lot of fruits, vegetables, legumes (beans, peas, lentils), olive oil, fish, and a little wine. Typically, red meat does not play a major part in the Mediterranean way of eating, although it is eaten perhaps once a week and is almost always lean. The Mediterranean way of eating has been credited with reducing the risk of developing a range of conditions potentially related to ageing like heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. It has also been linked to improved mental function and this has been highlighted in a new piece of research.

For this new study used people who were cognitively healthy but who were at high cardiovascular risk. Both men and women were involved and the average age of participants was 67 years. These subjects were then divided into three groups; one group was put on a low-fat diet, another group was put on a Mediterranean style diet with 30 grams a day of mixed nuts (walnuts, hazelnuts, and almonds), and the third group was put on a Mediterranean diet with one litre of extra virgin olive oil per week.

Over an average four year follow-up the subjects were given tests to measure attention, memory, and global cognition.

The results after four years showed that the low fat group had a significant decrease in all measures of cognitive function. Compared to the low fat group the group with the Mediterranean diet plus olive oil had improvements in overall cognition. The group that had the Mediterranean diet plus nuts showed significant improvements in memory.

The overall conclusion was that a Mediterranean style diet with olive oil and/or nuts added will help prevent age-related cognitive decline. The added bonus is that the Mediterranean style of eating is actually a rather delicious prescription.