The Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) has been associated with cognitive performance. Yet, controlled trials have yielded contradictory results. To tackle this controversy, a comprehensive multimodal analysis of the association of the MedDiet with cognitive performance and brain structure in normative aging is still necessary. Here, community dwellers ≥50 years from a cohort study on normative aging (n = 76) underwent a (i) magnetic resonance imaging session with two acquisitions: structural and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI); (ii) neuropsychological battery of tests focusing on memory and executive functioning; and (iii) dietary assessment through the Mediterranean Diet Assessment Screener (MEDAS, score range: 0–14, scores ≥10 indicate high adherence to the Mediterranean diet) 18 months prior to the brain imaging and neuropsychological assessment. We found that high adherence to the MedDiet (MEDAS ≥10) was associated with higher values of fractional anisotropy and lower diffusivity values in the brain white matter. Similarly, high adherence to the MedDiet was associated with higher structural connectivity between left hemisphere brain regions. Specifically, the amygdala, lingual, olfactory, middle occipital gyrus, and calcarine areas. No association was found between high adherence to the MedDiet and total brain volumes or hypointensities. Higher adherence to the MedDiet was positively associated with executive functioning scores. These results suggest that high adherence to the MedDiet positively associates with brain health, specifically with executive function scores and white matter integrity of bundles related to the processing and integration of taste, reward, and decision making. These findings seem to support the view that the MedDiet should be part of recommendations to promote a healthy brain.

中文翻译：

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对地中海饮食的更高坚持与保留的白质完整性和改变的结构连接有关

地中海饮食 (MedDiet) 与认知能力有关。然而，对照试验产生了相互矛盾的结果。为了解决这一争议，仍然需要对 MedDiet 与认知表现和大脑结构在正常衰老中的关联进行全面的多模态分析。在这里，来自规范老化队列研究 50 岁以上的社区居民 (n = 76) 接受了 (i) 磁共振成像会议，其中包括两次采集：结构和弥散加权成像 (DWI)；(ii) 侧重于记忆和执行功能的一系列神经心理学测试；(iii) 在脑成像和神经心理学评估前 18 个月，通过地中海饮食评估筛选器（MEDAS，评分范围：0-14，评分 ≥10 表示对地中海饮食的高度依从性）进行饮食评估。我们发现，对 MedDiet 的高度依从性（MEDAS ≥10）与脑白质中较高的分数各向异性值和较低的扩散率值相关。同样，对 MedDiet 的高度依从性与左半球大脑区域之间更高的结构连通性有关。具体来说，杏仁核、舌、嗅、枕中回和距状区。未发现对 MedDiet 的高度依从性与总脑容量或低信号之间存在关联。对 MedDiet 的更高依从性与执行功能评分呈正相关。这些结果表明，对 MedDiet 的高度依从性与大脑健康呈正相关，特别是与执行功能评分和与味觉、奖励和决策的处理和整合相关的束的白质完整性。