Effects of adherence to a Mediterranean style diet and healthy lifestyle on cognitive functioning in independently living older individuals

The focus of this research was to investigate the effects of diet and exercise interventions on cognition and health in older individuals, living independently. The outcomes suggest that diet quality is associated with faster cognitive processing, once medication use had been taken into account. Secondly, increased adherence to a Mediterranean diet combined with more exercise, over the 6 month intervention period improved memory and mood. This research has supported the proposition that by maintaining a healthier lifestyle, there is potential to improve cognition and mood in an ageing population with the potential to minimise the impact of dementia.