title: Cognitive health and Mediterranean diet: just diet or lifestyle pattern?
abstract: Mediterranean diet is a term used to describe the traditional eating habits of people in Crete, South Italy and other Mediterranean countries. It is a predominantly plant-based diet, with olive oil being the main type of added fat. There are many observational studies exploring the potential association between adherence to the Mediterranean diet and cognitive decline. The present review focuses on longitudinal studies with repeated cognitive assessments. It also evaluates evidence on behaviors related to the Mediterranean way of living, that have been shown to be associated with cognition, namely social interaction, participation in leisure activities, including physical activities, and sleep quality. The synergistic association-effect of these lifestyle behaviors, including diet, is unknown. Lifestyle patterns may constitute a new research and public health perspective.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Harokopio University, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Mary
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yannakoulia
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Harokopio University, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Meropi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kontogianni
authors.affiliation: Taub Institute for Research in Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center, Department of Neurology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; Department of Social Medicine, Psychiatry and Neurology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece. Electronic address: ns257@columbia.edu.
authors.forename: Nikolaos
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Scarmeas
mesh_terms: D003071:Cognition; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D038441:Diet, Mediterranean / Q000523:psychology*; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000502:physiology / Q000523:psychology; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008019:Life Style / Q000208:ethnology*; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D019083:Mediterranean Region; D009043:Motor Activity
keywords: Alzheimer's disease; Behaviors; Cognitive decline; Lifestyle; Mediterranean diet; Nutrition