The Mediterranean Diet Improves Memory
The Mediterranean diet offers important health benefits. One of them is its ability to improve memory. This eating plan, based on the consumption of fresh products, is characterized by containing high-quality nutrients.
In addition to being categorized as cardioprotective, the Mediterranean diet is also capable of providing protection against cognitive decline. Thus, increasing your intake of certain foods can help ensure brain health. What does the evidence say?
Fatty acids to improve memory
The foods that best suit the brain are fatty acids, especially unsaturated ones. For this reason, the Mediterranean diet is believed to help improve memory. These nutrients are involved in the formation and development of the brain. In addition, they stimulate its function and reduce inflammation that can occur at the brain level.
They can be found in foods such as the following:
- Vegetable oils, especially extra virgin olive.
- Blue Fish.
- Seafood.
- Nuts and seeds.
A study published in the journal Life Sciences suggests that regular consumption of omega 3 fatty acids helps improve memory. It proposes that these nutrients carry out a series of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory functions, which could prevent alterations produced in the hippocampus.
The antioxidants in the Mediterranean diet contribute to memory
Other essential nutrients when it comes to preserving or improving cognitive health are antioxidants. These substances are found in high amounts in the Mediterranean diet, especially in vegetables.
In this way, and from the intake of red vegetables and spices, we can include flavonoids such as anthocyanins or curcumin in the daily diet.
Regular consumption of this class of nutrients can improve memory in adult individuals, as stated in an article published in the journal Aging Clinical and Experimental Research .
The Mediterranean diet, as it contains abundant foods from the plant kingdom, is a source of antioxidants that helps improve memory. These, once assimilated, mitigate the negative effects of free radicals, improve cognitive performance and reduce the risk of developing other types of complex diseases.
Beware of wine in the Mediterranean diet
Despite the multiple benefits that this diet offers, there is a component of it with which you must be especially careful. Despite the fact that in previous times it was defended that consuming a glass of wine a day improves cardiovascular health, today this myth has been disproved.
The consumption of alcohol is not advised under any circumstances, as long as we are talking in terms of health. The intake of this substance has a negative impact on cognitive performance, which reduces short-term and long-term memory.
Although some ancient scientific articles claim the presence of antioxidants in wine, its tannin content is significantly lower than the content of these in grapes. In addition, alcohol itself reduces their absorption and generates problems at the intestinal level.
The Mediterranean diet can improve memory
A varied diet, which prioritizes the consumption of fresh foods over processed foods, can improve memory. The Mediterranean diet is abundant in vegetables and high-quality fats. These nutrients have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory capacity, which has a positive impact on cognitive performance.
In addition, all these substances contribute to reducing the risk of developing complex diseases in the medium and long term. For this reason, it is recommended to regularly eat products from the plant world, as well as fish and spices.
However, within the Mediterranean diet, it is necessary to be especially careful with alcohol. This eating pattern advises the inclusion of a glass of wine a day to promote cardiovascular health.
The latest studies ensure that the consumption of this drink has no protective effects on the risk of developing heart disease. In addition, its regular intake can interfere with cognitive function and, in fact, can worsen or reduce memory.
Instead, you need to boost your water consumption. Using spices in the culinary field is also important when giving added value to the diet. Most of these ingredients have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory potential, which can help boost memory.
