Mediterranean Diet May Shield Those at Highest Risk for Dementia

Simple eating habits could offer powerful protection for the brain.

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Scientists have discovered that the Mediterranean diet, already known to reduce dementia risk, provides the strongest brain protection to those who need it most: people with high genetic risk for Alzheimer’s disease.

High-Risk Groups Saw Greatest Benefits

Alzheimer’s disease has a strong genetic component, with heritability estimated at up to 80 percent. One gene, apolipoprotein E (APOE), is the strongest risk factor.

The study, recently published in Nature Medicine, tracked 4,215 women and 1,490 men for up to three decades. It found that people carrying two copies of the APOE4 gene variant, which increases Alzheimer’s disease risk by up to 12 times, experienced the largest reduction in dementia when following Mediterranean eating patterns.