Can Mediterranean Diet Enhance Brain Health? Study Sheds Light - Video

Closely following a Mediterranean diet was associated with having better brain health among Hispanic/Latino adults in a preliminary study to be presented at the American Stroke Association’s International Stroke Conference 2025.

Researchers noted that the positive impact of the Mediterranean diet on brain health is not entirely influenced by cardiovascular risk factors such as blood pressure, cholesterol levels and blood sugar, nor by behavioral risk factors such as smoking and physical activity, all known to affect brain health.

Researchers tapped into a multisite, population-based longitudinal study of Hispanic/Latino adults aged 18 to 74 years to explore how to preserve their brain integrity.

Researchers used specialized imaging techniques to investigate the microscopic and the visible changes in the brain. Adherence to Mediterranean diet intake was measured at baseline, and each participant received a score between 0-9, with higher scores indicating higher adherence. The average Mediterranean diet score was 5.01.

After considering other factors that could affect brain health, the analysis found that for each point increase in the Mediterranean diet score:

there was an improvement in white matter integrity (organization and communication within the brain); and

there was less evidence of structural damage in the brain, as assessed by the white matter hyperintensity burden (an important marker of small vessel brain disease).

“This suggests that even small improvements in diet improved brain integrity,” said lead researcher Gabriela Trifan, M.D., assistant professor of neurology at the University of Illinois in Chicago. “It has been suggested that healthy diets, and particularly the Mediterranean diet, improve white matter integrity by reducing inflammation, reducing oxidative stress and through maintaining the health of the brain's blood vessels’ function and stable blood sugar levels, all important factors for optimal brain health.”

Reference: https://newsroom.heart.org/news/eating-a-mediterranean-style-diet-improved-brain-health-in-study-of-hispaniclatino-adults#:~:text=Closely following a Mediterranean-style,beyond heart health, researchers said.