Diet Series - How Healthy is the Mediterranean Diet for the Brain?
The Mediterranean diet has garnered significant attention for its health benefits, with our friends over in Italy, Spain, Greece, and France often shown to have longer lifespans, and indeed, a better overall quality of life than many other nations. Today we’re going a step further and zeroing in on the impact that this particular diet has on our brains. So, let’s get started.
The long and short
The Mediterranean diet embraces a rich, diverse approach emphasizing fresh, whole foods. The abundance of nutrient-dense foods largely comprises vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts, legumes, and heart-healthy fats such as olive oil. And what are these types of foods great for? Providing us with the vitamins, minerals, polyphenols, and antioxidants that help our bodies, and our brains, function optimally.
What does this mean for the brain?
Well, the aforementioned components are excellent sources of nutrition for our grey and white matter:
Antioxidants help to combat oxidative stress and inflammation, promoting healthy brain aging and protecting our neurons from damage.
The omega-3 fatty acids found in nuts, seeds, and fish that are an integral part of the diet contribute to healthy cognitive functioning and have been shown to improve memory skills and informational processing.
The mental health impact
Of course, those things that are good for the health of our brains also tend to be positive influences on our mental health, too.
Research has suggested that the Mediterranean diet is linked to reduced levels of both anxiety and depressive disorders.
Those wonderful omega-3 fatty acids also contribute to the production of our favorite feel-good neurotransmitters: dopamine and serotonin, therefore helping to regulate mood.
The regular consumption of whole foods over the processed foods found in many modern diets helps to stabilize blood sugar levels, promoting emotional equilibrium and helping to reduce the risk of damage to the brain.
The longer-term
You might have guessed it, but the Mediterranean diet has been shown to be incredibly beneficial for the brain across the long term. A number of studies have investigated the impact it has on the brain as it ages, with encouraging results.
It can help towards slowing the rate of cognitive decline and preserve brain volume in older adults. This is largely due to its anti-inflammatory properties and beneficial effects on cardiovascular health.
Reduced levels of inflammation and improved blood flow to the brain also help to maintain healthy connections between neurons, preventing the accumulation of harmful plaques and tangles often associated with neurodegenerative diseases such as dementia, Parkinson’s, and Alzheimer’s disease.
Interested to learn more about the relationship between diet and brain health? Sign up for our newsletter and stay tuned for more in this series of posts documenting how popular diets affect the health of our brains.