Diet enhanced with extra-virgin olive oil or nuts better than low-fat diet for global cognition
THURSDAY, May 23 (HealthDay News) -- A dietary intervention of the Mediterranean diet, enhanced with either extra-virgin olive oil or nuts, is superior to a low-fat diet in preserving global cognition with age, according to research published online May 13 in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry.
Elena H. Martinez-Lapiscina, of the University of Navarra in Pamplona, Spain, and colleagues assessed cognition in 522 participants (44.6 percent men; 74.6 ± 5.7 years of age at the time of cognitive evaluation) who were randomly assigned to one of three nutritional interventions: the Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) supplemented with either extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) or mixed nuts, or a low-fat control diet. After a mean of 6.5 years of nutritional intervention, global cognitive performance was evaluated using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the Clock Drawing Test (CDT).
The researchers found that, after adjustment for sex, age, education, Apolipoprotein E genotype, family history of cognitive impairment or dementia, smoking, physical activity, body mass index, hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes, alcohol use, and total energy intake, participants following the MedDiet+EVOO or the MedDiet+Nuts had significantly higher mean scores on the MMSE than those following the low-fat diet. Participants on the MedDiet+EVOO also had significantly higher mean scores on the CDT compared with those on the low-fat diet. These differences persisted after adjusting for incident depression.
"In conclusion, an intervention with MedDiet supplemented with either EVOO or mixed nuts was associated with a better global cognitive performance after 6.5 years of follow-up compared with a control group who received advice on a lower-fat diet," the authors write. "Our findings support increasing evidence on the protective effects of the MedDiet on cognitive function."
Several food companies, including the California Walnut Commission, donated the olive oil and nuts used in the study. Several authors disclosed financial ties to pharmaceutical and food companies.
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