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The Mediterranean Diet and 2-Year change in cognitive function by status of type 2 diabetes and glycemic control
This 2019 study utilized the data of the Boston Puerto Rican Health Study to determine the relationship between diet quality and 2-year changes in cognitive function. The aim was to specifically inspect the association between the Mediterranean diet score (MeDS) with the 2-year difference in cognitive function, comparing those with and without type 2 diabetes, and those with controlled and uncontrolled blood glucose levels. Comparisons were also made with other diet quality scores such as Healthy Eating Index, Alternate Healthy Eating Index, and Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension scores. Mediterranean diet score (MeDS) was the only diet quality score that was positively associated with 2-year alterations in cognition in type 2 diabetes but was not in non-diabetics. Similar results were recorded for other cognitive tests (Mini-Mental State Examination, word recognition, digit span, and clock drawing tests). The results also remained consistent for individuals under glycemic control at baseline and either improved or kept stable over the 2 years, but this was not the case for individuals with uncontrolled or poor/declined glycemic control. Other findings include the link between all diet quality scores with higher 2-year memory function in adults without type 2 diabetes. Mattei et al. thus deduce from this study that adhering to a Mediterranean diet and effectively managing type 2 diabetes may support optimal cognitive function. [NPID: diet, disease, mental health, diet quality, cognition, Mediterranean diet, Med diet, blood glucose levels, DASH, diabetes, type 2 diabetes, word recognition]
Year: 2019
