The Effect of Mediterranean Diet on Cognitive Functions in the Elderly Population.

Blanka Klimova,Petr Schlegel,Martin Valis,Michal Novotny

doi:10.3390/nu13062067

Blanka Klimova, Petr Schlegel + Show 2 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13062067

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Abstract

At present, due to the demographic changes and the rise of senior population worldwide, there is effort to prolong an active life of these people by both pharmacological and non-pharmacological strategies. The purpose of this article is, on the basis of the literature review of recent clinical studies, to discuss one of such strategy, i.e., the effect of Mediterranean Diet (MedDiet) on the cognitive functions among both the cognitively unimpaired and impaired elderly people. The methodology includes a literature review of full-text, peer-reviewed journal studies written in English and published in Web of Science and PubMed between 1 January 2016 and 28 February 2021. The findings indicate that the adherence to MedDiet has a positive effect on both cognitively impaired and unimpaired older population, especially on their memory, both in the short and long run. The results show that the higher adherence to MedDiet proves to have a better effect on global cognitive performance of older people. In addition, the adherence to MedDiet offers other benefits to older people, such as reduction of depressive symptoms, lowered frailty, as well as reduced length of hospital stays.

Highlights

There is a sharp rise in the elderly population
The results confirm that at least one group adhered to Mediterranean Diet (MedDiet)
The findings described above indicate that the adherence to MedDiet has a positive effect on both cognitively impaired and unimpaired older population, especially on their memory, both in the short and long run

Summary

Introduction

There is a sharp rise in the elderly population. in 2019 there were 703 million of the elderly at the age of 65+ years. By 2050, this number should be more than doubled and reach 1.5 billion [1] Due to this demographic aging of the population, there is a higher incidence of worsen health conditions, such as impaired vision, hearing, and a progressive decline of cognitive functions [2]. Cognitive functions are all mental processes that allow us to recognize, remember, learn and adapt to ever-changing environmental conditions This includes, for example, learning, memory and thinking, receptive functions, such as perception of stimuli, their maintenance and sorting, as well as expressive functions, such as speech, writing, and drawing [3]. At the moment, it cannot be cured, but it can be only delayed by both pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapies [6]

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