This systematic review synthesized the studies on the association between adherence to the Mediterranean diet and cognitive function or dementia. The authors conducted a systematic review of 11 electronic databases (including Medline) of published articles up to January 2012. Reference lists, selected journal contents, and relevant websites were also searched. Study selection, data extraction, and quality assessment were performed independently by two reviewers using predefined criteria. Studies were included if they examined the association between a Mediterranean diet adherence score and cognitive function or dementia. The results showed there were twelve eligible papers (11 observational studies and one randomized controlled trial) were identified, describing seven unique cohorts. Despite methodological heterogeneity and limited statistical power in some studies, there was a reasonably consistent pattern of associations. Higher adherence to Mediterranean diet was associated with better cognitive function, lower rates of cognitive decline, and reduced risk of Alzheimer disease in nine out of 12 studies, whereas results for mild cognitive impairment were inconsistent. The authors conclude that published studies suggest a greater adherence to Mediterranean diet is associated with slower cognitive decline and lower risk of developing Alzheimer disease. Epidemiology. 2013 July. PMID: 23680940
