Régime méditerranéen ou crétois : quels bienfaits santé
Cette alimentation équilibrée qui fait la part belle aux antioxydants permettrait de lutter contre l'apparition des maladies neurodégénératives ...
communiqué
Parue fin 2020 dans la revue Experimental Gerontology, une étude scientifique indique que les personnes qui suivent un régime de style méditerranéen sont plus susceptibles de rester vifs mentalement à mesure que les années passent ( <anchor>communiqué</anchor> des chercheurs de l’Université d’Edimbourg, Royaume-Uni). Ainsi, les personnes qui adhéraient le plus au régime méditerranéen avaient les scores cognitifs les plus élevés, même en tenant compte de facteurs de biais tels que le quotient intellectuel durant l’enfance, le tabagisme, le niveau d’activité physique.
Mediterranean-style diet linked to better thinking skills in later life | ScienceDaily
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# Mediterranean-style diet linked to better thinking skills in later life

Date:February 10, 2021Source:University of EdinburghSummary:People who eat a Mediterranean-style diet -- particularly one rich in green leafy vegetables and low in meat -- are more likely to stay mentally sharp in later life, a study shows. Closely adhering to a Mediterranean diet was associated with higher scores on a range of memory and thinking tests among adults in their late 70s, the research found. The study found no link, however, between the Mediterranean-style diet and better brain health.
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People who eat a Mediterranean-style diet -- particularly one rich in green leafy vegetables and low in meat -- are more likely to stay mentally sharp in later life, a study shows.

Closely adhering to a Mediterranean diet was associated with higher scores on a range of memory and thinking tests among adults in their late 70s, the research found.

The study found no link, however, between the Mediterranean-style diet and better brain health.

Markers of healthy brain ageing -- such as greater grey or white matter volume, or fewer white matter lesions -- did not differ between those regularly eating a Mediterranean diet and those who did not.

These latest findings suggest that this primarily plant-based diet may have benefits for cognitive functioning as we get older, researchers say.

Researchers at the University of Edinburgh tested the thinking skills of more than 500 people aged 79 and without dementia.

The participants completed tests of problem solving, thinking speed, memory, and word knowledge, as well as a questionnaire about their eating habits during the previous year.

More than 350 of the group also underwent a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain scan to gain insights into their brain structure.

The team used statistical models to look for associations between a person's diet and their thinking skills and brain health in later life.

The findings show that, in general, people who most closely adhered to a Mediterranean diet had the highest cognitive function scores, even when accounting for childhood IQ, smoking, physical activity and health factors. The differences were small but statistically significant.

The individual components of the diet that appeared to be most strongly associated with better thinking skills were green leafy vegetables and a lower red meat intake.

Researchers say the latest findings add to the evidence that a healthier lifestyle, of which diet is one aspect, is associated with better thinking skills in later life.

Dr Janie Corley, of the University of Edinburgh's School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences, said: "Eating more green leafy vegetables and cutting down on red meat might be two key food elements that contribute to the benefits of the Mediterranean-style diet. In our sample, the positive relationship between a Mediterranean diet and thinking skills is not accounted for by having a healthier brain structure, as one might expect. Though it's possible there may be other structural or functional brain correlates with this measure of diet, or associations in specific regions of the brain, rather than the whole brain, as measured here."

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- RELATED TERMS  - [Mediterranean diet](/terms/mediterranean_diet.htm)
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  - [Atkins Diet](/terms/atkins_nutritional_approach.htm)
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**Story Source:**

[Materials](https://www.ed.ac.uk/news/2021/mediterranean-diet-linked-to-thinking-skills) provided by [**University of Edinburgh**](http://www.ed.ac.uk). _Note: Content may be edited for style and length._

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**Journal Reference**:

1. Janie Corley, Simon R. Cox, Adele M. Taylor, Maria Valdés Hernandez, Susana Muñoz Maniega, Lucia Ballerini, Stewart Wiseman, Rozanna Meijboom, Ellen V. Backhouse, Mark E. Bastin, Joanna M. Wardlaw, Ian J. Deary. **Dietary patterns, cognitive function, and structural neuroimaging measures of brain aging**. _Experimental Gerontology_, 2020; 142: 111117 DOI: [10.1016/j.exger.2020.111117](http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.exger.2020.111117)

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**Cite This Page**:

- [MLA](#citation_mla)
- [APA](#citation_apa)
- [Chicago](#citation_chicago)

University of Edinburgh. "Mediterranean-style diet linked to better thinking skills in later life." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 10 February 2021. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/02/210210133340.htm>.

University of Edinburgh. (2021, February 10). Mediterranean-style diet linked to better thinking skills in later life. _ScienceDaily_. Retrieved September 13, 2024 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/02/210210133340.htm

University of Edinburgh. "Mediterranean-style diet linked to better thinking skills in later life." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/02/210210133340.htm (accessed September 13, 2024).

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