14 DAY TRIAL // People who have a Mediterranean diet are bound to have better thinking and memory skills than those who consume a tad too much saturated fats, meat and dairy products, a team of University of Alabama at Birmingham researchers write in a recent study.
Although it is very much true that several previous studies have pointed out the fact that a Mediterranean diet need be linked to various health benefits, this appears to be the largest carried out thus far.
The official website for the University of Alabama at Birmingham says that the researchers came to understand that eating foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids, chicken and the like boosts mental abilities following their looking into the medical records of 17,478 people.
The individuals taken into consideration for this research were either African-Americans or Caucasians, and their average age was one of 64. 17% of the people enlisted in this research were suffering with diabetes.
Throughout the course of roughly 4 years, these people were asked to sit for tests that measured either their memory or their thinking abilities.
Thus, it was discovered that those whose diet was a Mediterranean one for the most part had about 19% less chances of experiencing a decline in their thinking and memory skills.
Interestingly enough, this theory did not apply to diabetics, meaning that their chances of developing issues with their thinking and memory skills remained high regardless of their diet.
“Diet is an important modifiable activity that could help in preserving cognitive functioning in late life,” researcher Georgios Tsivgoulis commented with respect to the findings of this investigation.
“However, it is only one of several important lifestyle activities that might play a role in late-life mental functioning. Exercise, avoiding obesity, not smoking cigarettes and taking medications for conditions like diabetes and hypertension are also important,” said specialist further elaborated on the matter at hand.
A detailed account of this study and its findings was published in this April 30's print issue of the journal Neurology.