{"id":42647,"date":"2025-09-04T08:19:14","date_gmt":"2025-09-04T08:19:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/42647\/"},"modified":"2025-09-04T08:19:14","modified_gmt":"2025-09-04T08:19:14","slug":"mediterranean-diet-reduces-genetic-alzheimers-risk-harvard-study-finds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/42647\/","title":{"rendered":"Mediterranean diet reduces genetic Alzheimer\u2019s risk, Harvard study finds"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Image: \u00a9 fcafotodigital | iStock
\n A Harvard study finds that following a Mediterranean diet can lower dementia risk for those with high genetic susceptibility, including APOE4 carriers<\/p>\n

New research<\/a> suggests that following a Mediterranean-style diet may help counteract a person\u2019s genetic risk for Alzheimer\u2019s disease. The study, led by researchers from Mass General Brigham, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and the Broad Institute, found that individuals at high genetic risk for dementia<\/a> who adhered to a diet rich in vegetables, fruits, nuts, and whole grains and low in red and processed meats experienced slower cognitive decline<\/a> and a reduced likelihood of developing Alzheimer\u2019s. <\/p>\n

The findings are detailed in Nature Medicine. <\/p>\n

Proven cognitive gains from Mediterranean eating<\/p>\n

Exploring the genetic and metabolic basis of Alzheimer\u2019s disease and related dementias is a vital area of research, as it helps scientists understand why some individuals are more susceptible than others. Alzheimer\u2019s disease is known to have a strong genetic component, with heritability estimated at up to 80%.<\/p>\n

In particular, the gene named apolipoprotein E or APOE has emerged as the strongest genetic risk factor for sporadic Alzheimer\u2019s disease, which is the most common form of Alzheimer\u2019s and is not directly inherited from parents. People who carry one copy of the\u00a0APOE4\u00a0variant have a three- to fourfold higher risk of developing Alzheimer\u2019s, and people with two copies of the\u00a0APOE4\u00a0variant have a 12-fold higher risk of Alzheimer\u2019s than those without.<\/p>\n

To establish a link between the Mediterranean diet, dementia risk, and the influence of blood metabolites linked to cognitive health, the researchers analysed data from 4,215 women in the Nurses\u2019 Health Study, following participants from 1989 to 2023 (average age 57 at baseline).\u00a0To validate their findings, the researchers analysed similar data from 1,490 men in the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study, followed from 1993 to 2023.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne reason we wanted to study the Mediterranean diet is because it is the only dietary pattern that has been causally linked to cognitive benefits in a randomized trial,\u201d said study first author\u00a0Yuxi Liu<\/a>, a research fellow in the Department of Medicine at Brigham and Women\u2019s Hospital and a postdoctoral fellow at the Harvard Chan School and the Broad. \u201cWe wanted to see whether this benefit might be different in people with varying genetic backgrounds, and to examine the role of blood metabolites, the small molecules that reflect how the body processes food and carries out normal functions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lower risk of Alzheimer\u2019s disease after following a Mediterranean diet<\/p>\n

The researchers analysed long-term dietary patterns using food frequency questionnaires and examined participants\u2019 blood samples for a broad range of metabolites, which are small molecules that reflect how the body processes food and carries out normal functions. They assessed genetic data to understand each participant\u2019s inherited risk for Alzheimer\u2019s disease and were followed over time for new cases of dementia. A subset of 1,037 women underwent regular telephone-based cognitive testing.<\/p>\n

The researchers discovered that the people following a more Mediterranean diet had a lower risk of developing dementia and showed slower cognitive decline.\u00a0The protective effect of the diet was most potent in the high-risk group with\u00a0two copies of the\u00a0APOE4\u00a0gene variant, suggesting that diet may help offset genetic risk.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese findings suggest that dietary strategies, specifically the Mediterranean diet, could help reduce the risk of cognitive decline and stave off dementia by broadly influencing key metabolic pathways,\u201d Liu said. \u201cThis recommendation applies broadly, but it may be even more important for individuals at a higher genetic risk, such as those carrying two copies of the\u00a0APOE4\u00a0genetic variant.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, a study limitation noted was that the cohort consisted only of well-educated individuals of European ancestry, and further research is needed to diversify the findings. <\/p>\n

\u201cIn future research, we hope to explore whether targeting specific metabolites through diet or other interventions could provide a more personalized approach to reducing dementia risk,\u201d Liu said, opening up a new frontier in Alzheimer\u2019s prevention.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Image: \u00a9 fcafotodigital | iStock A Harvard study finds that following a Mediterranean diet can lower dementia risk…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":42648,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[272],"tags":[869,868,25854,18,458,19,17,133],"class_list":{"0":"post-42647","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-genetics","8":"tag-alzheimers-disease","9":"tag-dementia","10":"tag-diet-and-nutrition","11":"tag-eire","12":"tag-genetics","13":"tag-ie","14":"tag-ireland","15":"tag-science"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42647","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42647"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42647\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/42648"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42647"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42647"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42647"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}