A new study suggests that older people may be able to preserve their cognitive function by including olive oil or nuts in their diet.
The research team headed by Miguel A Martinez-Gonzalez, a professor from Medical School of the University of Navarra, invited 522 participants, 234 men and 288 women, which are not less than 75 years old for a 6.5-year observation.
They divided the sample into three groups based on the diet plan: Mediterranean diet with olive oil, Mediterranean diet with nuts, and low-fat diet.
After the observation period, all participants underwent cognitive testing using two tests: the standard Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the Clock Drawing Test (CDT). Those who facilitated the tests were not aware of the diet of each participant.
The results of the tests revealed that those who had olive oil diet had better cognitive performance than those on a low-fat diet. The findings also factored in sex, age, education, family history, genotype, smoking, physical activity, BMI, hypertension, diabetes and the alcohol intake.
“Our trial suggests that nutritional intervention with MedDiet supplemented with either extra-virgin olive oil or nuts is associated with improved global cognition. There are mechanisms that can explain the protective effect of MedDiet on cognitive status, including antioxidative and anti-inflammatory effects and reduced vascular comorbidities,” the authors further stated.
The authors looked at the antioxidant properties of the olive oil and nuts, as well as the polyphenol-rich foods in the Mediterranean diet, as major components of improved cognitive function.
On the other hand, the authors admitted that there are limitations in their study as they were not able to set a baseline on the assessment. The sample size was also small. Therefore, they were not able to provide a general result.
“Future interventional research including both baseline and follow-up assessments of global and multiple domains of cognition is needed to obtain firmer evidence regarding potential benefits of MedDiet on cognition,” the authors concluded.
The study was published on May 13 in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry.
