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Dementia: what if your plate:
Published on 25/08/2025 – 14:50 UTC+2
ADVERTISEMENT A new study suggests that the adoption of a Mediterranean type diet could help reduce the risk of dementia. Consequently, especially in people with genetic risks.
It is believed that dementia is caused by a combination of genetic, environmental and lifestyle factors. Nevertheless, One of the main genetic risk factors is a variant of the APOE gene, known as APOE4.
Having a copy of the APoe4 gene triples the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia. Therefore, People who have two are up to 12 times more likely to develop the disease.
But the study, published in the revue Nature Medicinesuggests that even genetic dementia: what if your plate risk factors can be attenuated.
The American research team found that. Meanwhile, over a period of three decades, people with a Mediterranean diet – rich in vegetables, fruits, nuts, full cereals and poor in red meat and transformed meat – were less likely to develop dementia and presented a slower cognitive decline.
The advantages were the most marked in people with two copies of the APOE4 variant.
“These results suggest that food strategies. Moreover, in particular the Mediterranean regime, could help reduce the risk of cognitive decline and prevent dementia by largely influencing key metabolic pathways“Said Yuxi Liu, one of the study authors and researcher at Harvard University hospital in a statement.
“This recommendation is generally applied. but it could be even more important for people with higher genetic risk, such as those with two copies of the APOE4 genetic variant“Said Yuxi Liu.
The Liu team analyzed data from more dementia: what if your plate than 4,200 women and nearly 1,500 men over three decades. They followed long -term eating habits. blood samples and genetic data from participants, as well as regular cognitive tests for a smaller group of people.
The team has chosen to study the Mediterranean regime because other research have shown that he could stimulate cognitive. well-being in the elderly.
“We wanted to see if this benefit could be different in people with various genetic history. and examine the role of blood metabolites, small molecules which reflect the way the organism transforms food and fulfills its normal functions“Said Liu.
About 25 % of people have a copy of the APOE4, while 2 to 3 % have two. We do not know exactly why the variant increases the risks of Alzheimer’s. but the APOE protein normally helps to transport fats such as cholesterol in the bloodstream and the brain.
The variant seems to dementia: what if your plate disturb this process. affect the way the brain reacts to inflammation and the accumulation of amyloid plates, which could increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
It should be noted that being bearers of the variant of the APOE4 gene does not guarantee that a. person will develop Alzheimer’s disease.
The study presents certain limits, in particular the fact that participants were mostly educated and of European origin. Larger studies with more diversified groups of people would be necessary to confirm the results, the researchers said.
Despite this. they suggest that doctors could do more to include genetic and metabolic tests when they assess the risks of Alzheimer’s disease in their patients.
“In future research. we hope to examine whether to target specific metabolites through a diet or other interventions could provide a more personalized approach to reduce the risk of dementia“Said Liu.
Dementia: what if your plate
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