Eating a Mediterranean diet could be one of the healthiest choices you could make, according to recent research–but a new study reveals something puzzling about this diet.
Researchers from Ben-Gurion University say that eating this diet may slow the rate of memory decline in African Americans, but the same effects weren’t found in Caucasians.
Could the Mediterranean diet have a racial bias?
“In a population of initially well-functioning older adults, we found a significant correlation between strong adherence to the Mediterranean diet and a slower rate of cognitive decline among African American, but not white, older adults,” say researchers, whose study was published in the Journal of Gerontology. “Our study is the first to show a possible race-specific association between the Mediterranean diet and cognitive decline.”
While previous studies have shown that eating a Mediterranean diet may help prevent cognitive decline, this study is the first to find differences based on race. Researchers aren’t sure why this is occurring either–something that will need to be investigated in future studies.
“Further studies in diverse populations are needed to confirm this association and pinpoint mechanisms that may explain these results,” say researchers.
What They Found
Recruiting 2,326 adults who had previously participated in the United States Health, Aging, and Body Composition study, researchers wanted to see if the diet affected different racial groups differently–in this case, Caucasians and African Americans. To do so, those who were on the Mediterranean diet were quizzed about their adherence to the diet using a MedDiet score. Researchers also evaluated their cognitive function periodically by using Modified Mini Mental State Examination scores.
Then they compared the results.
Now the less surprising part: African Americans who had a high MedDiet score, something that indicated they were adhering well to the diet, had significantly less rates of cognitive decline. That part isn’t surprising, as past studies also found that this diet resulted in deceases of cognitive decline across the board.
But what puzzled researchers was how it affected Caucasians. In fact, it appeared to have a far less pronounced effect on them–something that didn’t align with previous studies.
“Among blacks, participants with high MedDiet scores had a significantly lower mean rate of decline on the Modified Mini Mental State Examination score compared with participants with lower MedDiet scores (middle and bottom tertiles),” say researchers. “Stronger adherence to the Mediterranean diet may reduce the rate of cognitive decline among black, but not white older adults.”
What These Results Mean For You
While the Mediterranean Diet may help decrease cognitive decline in African Americans, this doesn’t work as well for Caucasians–so does that mean you shouldn’t follow it? Absolutely not, say experts. There are plenty of reasons to follow the Mediterranean diet–a healthier heart is one of them–so don’t let these results deter you from following a healthier lifestyle.
Readers: Have you tried this diet before?
Sources:
Study: Mediterranean Diet May Have a Racial Bias When it Comes to Memory Loss – ScienceDaily.com
Mediterranean Diet Has Race Specific Effect on Cognition – PsychCentral.com
Mediterranean Diet Significantly Lowers Cognitive Problems in African Americans, But Not Caucasians – OxfordJournals.org
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