Mediterranean and MIND Diets Containing Olive Biophenols Reduces the Prevalence of Alzheimer’s Disease

Abstract

The risk of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) increases with nonmodifiable conditions including age and lack of effective efficacious pharmacotherapy. During the past decades, the non-pharmacotherapy mode of treatment of dietary modification received extensive attention in AD research. In order to reduce the AD pathology and cognitive decline, various dietary patterns have been attempted including caloric restriction (CR), dietary approaches to stop hypertension (DASH), ketogenic diets (KD), Mediterranean diet (MedDi) and Mediterranean-DASH diet Intervention for Neurological Delay (MIND) diet. Higher adherence to the MedDi diet was associated with decreases in cardiovascular and neurological disorders including AD and related cognitive decline. However, another emerging healthy dietary pattern MIND diet has also been associated with slower rates of cognitive decline and significant reduction of AD rate. Olive serves as one of the building block components of MedDi and MIND diets and the exerted potential health beneficial might be suggested due to the presence of its bioactive constituents such as oleic acids and phenolic compounds (biophenols). A few trials using medical food showed an optimal result in presymptomatic or early stages of AD. The review supports the notion that MedDi and MIND diets display potential for maintaining the cognitive function as nonpharmacological agents against AD pathology and proposed preventative mechanism through the presence of olive biophenols and presents the gaps along with the future directions.

Influence of the Mediterranean and Ketogenic Diets on Cognitive Status and Decline: A Narrative Review

“…This eating pattern forces the system to shift from glucose metabolism toward the metabolism of fatty acids with the consequent production of ketone bodies. Despite the increasing availability of preclinical and clinical scientific evidence regarding the nonpharmacological approach in the prevention of neurodegeneration, a review paper describing the current knowledge, differences, and similarities of underlying mechanisms and the exerted effects of these two nutritional approaches on cognitive function is still missing [22]. Another open issue regards the impact of these dietary patterns on specific populations characterized by clinical frailty, which have been demonstrated to be at higher risk to develop AD-related cognitive impairment, such as those individuals with diabetes [26], chronic kidney disease [27], and other chronic-degenerative disorders associated with the aging process [28,29].…”

“…Data from recent studies show that reducing the intake of trans-fat and saturated fats, (e.g., red and processed meats); decreasing the consumption of dairy products; and increasing intake of fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains could be associated with the improvement of cognitive function and prevention of AD [19,20]. Moreover, it has been suggested that different eating patterns, including Mediterranean diet (MedDi), Ketogenic Diet (KD), caloric restriction, Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH), and Mediterranean-DASH diet Intervention for Neurological Delay (MIND), could possibly reduce the pathophysiological hallmarks of AD [19,[21][22][23].…”

“…Among others, in the last decade, the MedDi and KD have been the two most studied eating patterns for their possible beneficial effect on cognitive functions. Both of them have, in fact, demonstrated to be effective in reducing or delaying cognitive impairment in older people by acting through different pathophysiological mechanisms [22][23][24]. Table 1 synthetizes the most important features of these two dietary patterns.…”

Pathways of Prevention: A Scoping Review of Dietary and Exercise Interventions for Neurocognition

“…An emerging dietary pattern of interest is the MIND diet, which combines aspects of the MeDi and DASH diet with an emphasis on dietary components linked to neuroprotection and dementia prevention [166][167][168]. For example, the MIND diet has a more explicit emphasis on dietary components with polyphenolic effects, such as blueberries, red wine, and dark chocolate [169]. The MIND diet has been associated with a lower incidence of neurocognitive decline [150,168,170] and ADRD [169][170][171][172].…”

“…For example, the MIND diet has a more explicit emphasis on dietary components with polyphenolic effects, such as blueberries, red wine, and dark chocolate [169]. The MIND diet has been associated with a lower incidence of neurocognitive decline [150,168,170] and ADRD [169][170][171][172]. Indeed, recent evidence suggests that the MIND dietary pattern is associated with more protective effects when compared to either the MeDi or DASH directly [165][166][167].…”