How The Brain Changes With Age: Mediterranean Diet Offers Neurological Benefits

The popular Mediterranean diet could have a perhaps unexpected benefit: it may just keep your brain healthy as you age, according to a new study released Wednesday.

As we age, our brains shrink, which causes declining performance and delayed reactions. The Mediterranean diet may help slow that shrinking process, the study found. The Mediterranean diet essentially dictates that you should eat like people who live by the Mediterranean Sea, which means more nuts, fruits and vegetables, with limited red meat and moderate levels of fish and red wine.

The study, published in the journal Neurology, looked at folks in their mid-70s in Scotland, comparing those who ate a typical Scottish diet to those whose diets more closely resembled the Mediterranean diet.

"We found that lower adherence to the Mediterranean diet was associated with greater three-year reduction in total brain volume," researcher Michelle Luciano of the University of Edinburgh in Scotland and his colleagues wrote, via NBC News.

The researchers used a group of Edinburgh, Scotland, residents who were born in 1936 and whose health habits have been closely tracked since. The study followed the Scots from age 70 to about age 76, asking them to fill out a food diary while the researches tracked their brains through MRIs.

"In our study, eating habits were measured before brain volume was, which suggests that the diet may be able to provide long-term protection to the brain," Luciano said in a statement. "Still, larger studies are needed to confirm these results."

Interestingly, the researchers did not find that fish and meat consumption were related to the differences in peoples' brains, which is contrary to some other research.

"It's possible that other components of the Mediterranean diet are responsible for this relationship, or that it's due to all of the components in combination," Luciano said in the statement.

The Mediterranean diet has been linked to other health benefits, including a healthier heart, helping to prevent dementia and generally living longer. U.S. News & World Report, using a panel of health experts, ranked it as the No. 2 diet overall, noting that it will help a lot of folks lose weight and live healthier lives.