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Grantees in the News: Kenneth Langa, Claire McEvoy, and Kristine Yaffe on Mediterranean diet and cognition

On July 10, MedicalExpress.com spotlighted research on the Mediterranean Diet and cognition, co-authored by 2003 Paul B. Beeson Emerging Leaders Career Development Award in Aging scholar Kenneth Langa, MD, PhD, 2015 Paul B. Beeson Emerging Leaders Career Development Award in Aging CARDI scholar Claire McEvoy, PhD, and 2001 Paul B. Beeson Emerging Leaders Career Development Award in Aging scholar Kristine Yaffe, MD and originally published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society in April.

The original study, Neuroprotective Diets Are Associated with Better Cognitive Function: The Health and Retirement Study, observed the dietary patterns and cognitive function of 5,907 adults aged 50 years and older.

The researchers found that participants with middle to high-level adherence to the Mediterranean diet were less likely to have poor cognitive performance than those with lower adherence levels.

Medical Express notes: “For older adults, greater adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) and the Mediterranean-DASH diet Intervention for Neurodegeneration Delay (MIND) is associated with improved cognitive function,” while the authors stress: “Clinical trials are required to elucidate the role of dietary patterns in cognitive aging.”

For further insights on the growing body of research supporting the benefits of a Mediterranean Diet on healthspan, read AFAR Medical Officer Richard Besdine, MD’s, Huff/Post50 blog post, An Olive a Day? The Preventive Power of the Mediterranean Diet, in which, Dr. McEvoy shares: “A key research challenge is to understand the best ways to support people to make sustained and lasting changes to their diet.”

The research was recognized in a related feature story in Medical Express that can be viewed here.

The full Journal of the American Geriatrics Society study can be read here.

AFAR Medical Officer Richard Besdine’s, MD Huff/Post50 article can be found here.

Kenneth Langa, MD, PhD, is a Professor, Department of Internal Medicine at the University of Michigan.

Claire McEvoy, PhD is a Postdoctoral Scholar at the University of California in San Francisco School of Medicine.

Kristine Yaffe, MD is a Professor of Psychiatry, Neurology and Epidemiology and the Roy and Marie Scola Endowed Chair Vice Chair of Research in Psychiatry at the University of California in San Francisco School of Medicine.

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