Scientists Just Showed the Mediterranean Diet Slows Brain Aging

Having lived in a Mediterranean country for over 10 years, I was not surprised to learn that U.S. News & World Report has just ranked the Mediterranean diet the healthiest overall for the eighth year in a row. I’ve seen firsthand what all the hype is about. Not only is food in my corner of the Med delicious, but people here seem wildly healthier than folks back home in the U.S. 

All of which has made me a true believer that a Mediterranean diet — i.e., one low in processed foods and high in veggies, fiber, seafood, and olive oil — is great for your body. But I have been surprised to learn lately just how much of an impact eating this way can have on your brain.  

Part of my job as a columnist here at Inc.com is to keep an eye on recent scientific studies that might be of interest to entrepreneurs looking to boost their health, happiness, and success. And I have noticed a drumbeat of research findings all pointing in the same direction lately: The Mediterranean diet is the way to go if you want to slow brain aging and keep your mind sharp. 

Interest in this area seems to have kicked off with a 2022 paper that linked the Mediterranean diet, particularly a variant that was exceptionally high in plant-based foods, with fewer signs of wear and tear on the brain. 

For this study, the researchers recruited 224 people who were overweight and around 50 years old. They then split them into three different groups, each of which was given a different diet plan to follow for a year and a half — a standard healthy diet, a Mediterranean diet, or a “green Mediterranean diet” with higher levels of plant-based foods. The scientists then used MRIs to scan the brains of all participants and check the effects. 

They found that the folks on the green Mediterranean diet in particular showed less brain shrinkage and neuron death than those on alternate but still healthy diets. Put simply, the brains of people eating a plant-heavy Mediterranean diet seemed to age more slowly. 

Why? That is a question that still needs more investigation, but the scientists have an idea. The volunteers who ate the green Mediterranean diet also had more stable blood sugar levels, which they think might reduce inflammation in the brain. But while the experts work out the particulars, the rest of us can start benefiting from their findings today. 

That might be enough to get you to throw some spinach and beans into your shopping cart on your next trip to the grocery store. But this isn’t the only study touting the cognitive benefits of the Mediterranean diet I’ve come across recently. 

Another recent paper out of Tulane University and published in Gut Microbes Reports looked at the effect of the Mediterranean diet on the microorganisms living in the guts of lab rats. What does that have to do with the mental acuity of entrepreneurs, you might ask? The researchers noticed an intriguing connection. 

After 14 weeks on the Mediterranean diet, the lab rats had more healthy gut microbes compared with those that ate a standard Western diet. And it wasn’t just good for their digestion. Tests revealed these rats also had better memories and were more flexible and adaptable in their thinking. 

This is, of course, a preliminary study. What’s true of rats isn’t necessarily true of humans. More research is needed. But the researchers are still happy to recommend the Mediterranean diet, given the huge pile of evidence of its all-around health benefits.

“Our findings suggest that the Mediterranean diet or its biological effects could be harnessed to improve scholastic performance in adolescents, or work performance in young adults,” commented neuroscientist and study co-author Demetrius M. Maraganore. 

So if you want to keep your brain at its fittest, maybe it’s time to work more olive oil, veggies, fiber, and fish into your diet. Science — and plenty of grandmas here in Cyprus — already knew that a Mediterranean diet along these lines could help keep you trim, energetic, and healthy. New science is starting to show it will also keep your brain working at its best.