• This record comes from PubMed

Mediterranean diet score linked to cognitive functioning in Czech women: a cross-sectional population-based study

. 2025 Jul 12 ; 64 (5) : 237. [epub] 20250712

Language English Country Germany Media electronic

Document type Journal Article

Links

PubMed 40650788
PubMed Central PMC12255573
DOI 10.1007/s00394-025-03752-4
PII: 10.1007/s00394-025-03752-4
Knihovny.cz E-resources

PURPOSE: The evidence suggests that adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MD) may be beneficial in preventing cognitive decline. We aimed to explore this association in a Central European population. METHODS: A total of 6,028 men and women from the Czech arm of the HAPIEE study were included in the analysis. Dietary data were collected using a food frequency questionnaire, and MD score (MDS) was calculated based on nine food groups. The MDS (range 0-17 points) was classified into three groups: low (0-7), medium (8-10), high (11-17). Cognitive function was measured using four tests assessing verbal memory and learning, verbal fluency, and attention, mental speed and concentration, and composite score, each of them converted to z-score. The associations between MDS and cognitive function were analyzed using multivariate linear regression in men and women. RESULTS: There were no significant associations in men. By contrast, women with a dietary score of 8-10 points (B = 0.05, 95% CI: -0.002; 0.097), and those with a score of 11-17 points (B = 0.08, 95% CI: 0.016; 0.140) had a higher composite cognitive score than women in lowest adherence group. Regarding specific domains, women in the highest adherence group had significantly better immediate verbal memory (B = 0.12, 95% CI: 0.031; 0.205) and delayed recall (B = 0.12, 95% CI: 0.027; 0.212), respectively, than those in the lowest adherence group. CONCLUSION: Higher adherence to the MDS was associated with better cognitive functioning in verbal memory and composite cognitive score in Czech women. The results suggest that the Mediterranean diet may help to improve cognitive functioning.

See more in PubMed

World Health Organization (2022) Ageing and health.WHO. https://www.who.int/newsroom/fact-sheets/detail/ageing-and-health. Accessed 28 June 2024

Livingston G, Huntley J, Sommerlad A et al (2020) Dementia prevention, intervention, and care: 2020 report of the lancet commission. Lancet 396(10248):413–446. 10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30367-6 PubMed PMC

Morris MC (2012) Nutritional determinants of cognitive aging and dementia. Proc Nutr Soc 71(1):1–13. 10.1017/S0029665111003296 PubMed

Lehert P, Villaseca P, Hogervorst E, Maki PM, Henderson VW (2015) Individually modifiable risk factors to ameliorate cognitive aging: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Climacteric 18(5):678–689. 10.3109/13697137.2015.1078106 PubMed PMC

Pistollato F, Iglesias RC, Ruiz R et al (2018) Nutritional patterns associated with the maintenance of neurocognitive functions and the risk of dementia and alzheimer’s disease: a focus on human studies. Pharmacol Res 131:32–43. 10.1016/j.phrs.2018.03.012 PubMed

Guasch-Ferré M, Willett WC (2021) The mediterranean diet and health: a comprehensive overview. J Intern Med 290(3):549–566. 10.1111/joim.13333 PubMed

Willett WC, Sacks F, Trichopoulou A et al (1995) Mediterranean diet pyramid: a cultural model for healthy eating. Am J Clin Nutr 61(6):1402S–1406S. 10.1093/AJCN/61.6.1402S PubMed

Siervo M, Shannon OM, Llewellyn DJ, Stephan BCM, Fontana L (2021) Mediterranean diet and cognitive function: from methodology to mechanisms of action. Free Radic Biol Med 176:105–117. 10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2021.09.018 PubMed

Trichopoulou A, Martínez-González MA, Tong TY et al (2014) Definitions and potential health benefits of the mediterranean diet: views from experts around the world. BMC Med 12(1):112. 10.1186/1741-7015-12-112 PubMed PMC

Scarmeas N, Anastasiou CA, Yannakoulia M (2018) Nutrition and prevention of cognitive impairment. Lancet Neurol 17(11):1006–1015. 10.1016/S1474-4422(18)30338-7 PubMed

Charisis S, Ntanasi E, Yannakoulia M et al (2021) Mediterranean diet and risk for dementia and cognitive decline in a mediterranean population. J Am Geriatr Soc 69(6):1548–1559. 10.1111/jgs.17072 PubMed

Nishi SK, Babio N, Gómez-Martínez C et al (2021) Mediterranean, DASH, and MIND dietary patterns and cognitive function: the 2-Year longitudinal changes in an older Spanish cohort. Front Aging Neurosci 13:782067. 10.3389/fnagi.2021.782067 PubMed PMC

Moustafa B, Trifan G, Isasi CR et al (2022) Association of mediterranean diet with cognitive decline among diverse Hispanic or Latino adults from the Hispanic community health study/study of Latinos + Invited Commentary + Supplemental content. JAMA Netw Open 5(7):2221982. 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.21982 PubMed PMC

Corley J, Cox SR, Taylor AM et al (2020) Dietary patterns, cognitive function, and structural neuroimaging measures of brain aging. Exp Gerontol 142:111117. 10.1016/j.exger.2020.111117 PubMed

Hardman RJ, Kennedy G, Macpherson H, Scholey AB, Pipingas A (2016) Adherence to a Mediterranean-Style diet and effects on cognition in adults: a qualitative evaluation and systematic review of longitudinal and prospective trials. Front Nutr 3:22. 10.3389/fnut.2016.00022 PubMed PMC

Petersson SD, Philippou E (2016) Mediterranean diet, cognitive function, and dementia: a systematic review of the evidence. Adv Nutr 7(5):889–904. 10.3945/an.116.012138 PubMed PMC

Loughrey DG, Lavecchia S, Brennan S, Lawlor BA, Kelly ME (2017) The impact of the mediterranean diet on the cognitive functioning of healthy older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Adv Nutr 8(4):571–586. 10.3945/an.117.015495 PubMed PMC

Wu L, Sun D (2017) Adherence to mediterranean diet and risk of developing cognitive disorders: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies. Sci Rep 7:41317. 10.1038/srep41317 PubMed PMC

Klimova B, Novotny M, Schlegel P, Valis M (2021) The effect of mediterranean diet on cognitive functions in the elderly population. Nutrients 13(6):2067. 10.3390/nu13062067 PubMed PMC

Fu J, Tan LJ, Lee JE, Shin S (2022) Association between the mediterranean diet and cognitive health among healthy adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Front Nutr 9:946361. 10.3389/fnut.2022.946361 PubMed PMC

Radd-Vagenas S, Duffy SL, Naismith SL, Brew BJ, Flood VM, Fiatarone Singh MA (2018) Effect of the mediterranean diet on cognition and brain morphology and function: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Am J Clin Nutr 107(3):389–404. 10.1093/ajcn/nqx070 PubMed

Martínez-Lapiscina EH, Clavero P, Toledo E et al (2013) Mediterranean diet improves cognition: the PREDIMED-NAVARRA randomised trial. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 84(12):1318–1325. 10.1136/jnnp-2012-304792 PubMed

Konieczna J, Ruiz-Canela M, Galmes-Panades AM et al (2023) An Energy-Reduced mediterranean diet, physical activity, and body composition: an interim subgroup analysis of the PREDIMED-Plus randomized clinical trial. JAMA Netw Open 6(10):e2337994–e2337994. 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.37994 PubMed PMC

Peasey A, Bobak M, Kubinova R et al (2006) Determinants of cardiovascular disease and other non-communicable diseases in central and Eastern europe: rationale and design of the HAPIEE study. BMC Public Health 6:1–10. 10.1186/1471-2458-6-255 PubMed PMC

Boylan S, Welch A, Pikhart H et al (2009) Dietary habits in three central and Eastern European countries: the HAPIEE study. BMC Public Health 9:1–13. 10.1186/1471-2458-9-439 PubMed PMC

European Food Safety Authority (2011) The food classification and description system FoodEx 2 (draft-revision 1). EFSA Support Publ 215

Food Standards Agency (2002) McCance and Widdowson’s The Composition of Foods, 6th summary edition. The Royal Society of Chemistry, Cambridge

Stefler D, Pikhart H, Jankovic N et al (2014) Healthy diet indicator and mortality in Eastern European populations: prospective evidence from the HAPIEE cohort. Eur J Clin Nutr 68(12):1346–1352. 10.1038/ejcn.2014.134 PubMed PMC

Stefler D, Malyutina S, Kubinova R et al (2017) Mediterranean diet score and total and cardiovascular mortality in Eastern europe: the HAPIEE study. Eur J Nutr 56(1):421–429. 10.1007/s00394-015-1092-x PubMed PMC

Sofi F, Macchi C, Abbate R, Gensini GF, Casini A (2013) Mediterranean diet and health status: an updated meta-analysis and a proposal for a literature-based adherence score. Public Health Nutr 17(12):2769–2782. 10.1017/S1368980013003169 PubMed PMC

Lewinsohn PM, Seeley JR, Roberts RE, Allen NB (1997) Centre for epidemiologic studies depression scale (CES-D) as a screening instrument for depression among community-residing older adults. Psychol Aging 12(2):277–287. 10.1037/0882-7974.12.2.277 PubMed

National Cancer Institute (2019) Learn More about Outliers - Dietary Assessment Primer. National Institutes of Health. https://dietassessmentprimer.cancer.gov/learn/outliers.html. Accessed 15 June 2024

Mantzorou M, Vadikolias K, Pavlidou E et al (2021) Mediterranean diet adherence is associated with better cognitive status and less depressive symptoms in a Greek elderly population. Aging Clin Exp Res 33(4):1033–1040. 10.1007/s40520-020-01608-x PubMed

Samieri C, Okereke OI, Devore EE, Grodstein F (2013) Long-term adherence to the mediterranean diet is associated with overall cognitive status, but not cognitive decline, in women. J Nutr 143(4):493–499. 10.3945/jn.112.169896 PubMed PMC

de la Rubia Ortí JE, García-Pardo MP, Drehmer E et al (2018) Improvement of main cognitive functions in patients with alzheimer’s disease after treatment with coconut oil enriched mediterranean diet: a pilot study. J Alzheimer’s Dis 65(2):577–587. 10.3233/JAD-180184 PubMed

Vercambre MN, Grodstein F, Berr C, Kang JH (2012) Mediterranean diet and cognitive decline in women with cardiovascular disease or risk factors. J Acad Nutr Diet 112(6):816–823. 10.1016/j.jand.2012.02.023 PubMed PMC

Haring B, Wu C, Mossavar-Rahmani Y, Snetselaar L et al (2016) No association between dietary patterns and risk for cognitive decline in older women with nine-year follow-up: data from the women’s health initiative memory study. J Acad Nutr Diet 116(6):921–930. 10.1016/j.jand.2015.12.017 PubMed PMC

Gu Y, Guo J, Moshfegh AJ (2021) Race/ethnicity and gender modify the association between diet and cognition in U.S. Older adults: national health and nutrition examination survey 2011–2014. Alzheimer’s Dement Transl Res Clin Interv 7(1):e12128. 10.1002/trc2.12128 PubMed PMC

Bhushan A, Fondell E, Ascherio A, Yuan C, Grodstein F, Willett W (2018) Adherence to mediterranean diet and subjective cognitive function in men. Eur J Epidemiol 33(2):223–234. 10.1007/s10654-017-0330-3 PubMed

Katsiardanis K, Diamantaras AA, Dessypris N et al (2013) Cognitive impairment and dietary habits among elders. Velestino Study 16(4):343–350. 10.1089/jmf.2012.0225 PubMed

Bates CJ, Prentice A, Finch S (1999) Gender differences in food and nutrient intakes and status indices from the National diet and nutrition survey of people aged 65 years and over. Eur J Clin Nutr 53(9):694–699. 10.1038/sj.ejcn.1600834 PubMed

Barrea L, Verde L, Suárez R et al (2024) Sex-differences in mediterranean diet: a key piece to explain sex-related cardiovascular risk in obesity? A cross-sectional study. J Transl Med 22(1):44. 10.1186/s12967-023-04814-z PubMed PMC

Li KK, Concepcion RY, Lee H et al (2012) An examination of sex differences in relation to the eating habits and nutrient intakes of university students. J Nutr Educ Behav 44(3):246–250. 10.1016/j.jneb.2010.10.002 PubMed

Feraco A, Armani A, Amoah I et al (2024) Assessing gender differences in food preferences and physical activity: a population-based survey. Front Nutr 11:1348456. 10.3389/fnut.2024.1348456 PubMed PMC

Lee H, Kang M, Song WO, Shim JE, Paik HY (2016) Gender analysis in the development and validation of FFQ: a systematic review. Br J Nutr 115(4):666–671. 10.1017/S0007114515004717 PubMed

Sundermann EE, Biegon A, Rubin LH, Lipton RB, Landau S, Maki PM (2017) Does the female advantage in verbal memory contribute to underestimating AD pathology in women versus men? J Alzheimers Dis 56(3):947–957. 10.3233/JAD-160716 PubMed PMC

Koyame-Marsh R, Koyame-Marsh RO (2011) The complexities of economic transition: lessons from The Czech Republic and Slovakia. Int J Bus Soc Sci 2(19)

Deeks A, Lombard C, Michelmore J, Teede H (2009) The effects of gender and age on health related behaviors. BMC Public Health 9(1):1–8. 10.1186/1471-2458-9-213 PubMed PMC

Gorelick PB, Scuteri A, Black SE et al (2011) Vascular contributions to cognitive impairment and dementia. Stroke 42(9):2672–2713. 10.1161/STR.0b013e3182299496 PubMed PMC

Song R, Xu H, Dintica CS et al (2020) Associations between cardiovascular risk, structural brain changes, and cognitive decline. J Am Coll Cardiol 75(20):2525–2534. 10.1016/j.jacc.2020.03.053 PubMed PMC

Panagiotakos DB, Pitsavos C, Stefanadis C (2006) Dietary patterns: a mediterranean diet score and its relation to clinical and biological markers of cardiovascular disease risk. Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis 16(8):559–568. 10.1016/j.numecd.2005.08.006 PubMed

Morris MC, Tangney CC, Wang Y, Sacks FM, Bennett DA, Aggarwal NT (2015) MIND diet associated with reduced incidence of alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimers Dement 11(9):1007–1014. 10.1016/j.jalz.2014.11.009 PubMed PMC

Stefler D, Brett D, Sarkadi-Nagy E et al (2021) Traditional Eastern European diet and mortality: prospective evidence from the HAPIEE study. Eur J Nutr 60(2):1091–1100. 10.1007/s00394-020-02319-9 PubMed PMC

Chong MFF (2022) Dietary trajectories through the life course: opportunities and challenges. Br J Nutr 128(1):154–159. 10.1017/S0007114522001295 PubMed

Find record

Citation metrics

Loading data ...

Archiving options

Loading data ...