Data continue to accumulate about the benefits of the Mediterranean diet. In the most recent research investigators followed over 700 subjects for almost six years. The participants were divided into three groups depending upon how well they followed a Mediterranean-type diet. That is to say, a diet dominated by fruits and vegetables, fish, nuts, olive oil and modest amounts of meat.
At the end of the study everyone who participated was given an MRI scan of the brain to determine whether they had experienced an infarct. This is like a mini stroke, but is not always associated with noticeable symptoms. The people who stayed closest to a Mediterranean diet were 36 percent less likely to have a brain infarct show up on the MRI. The lead investigator explained that though it is not an experimental trial, the results are promising and he recommends the Mediterranean diet to his patients.
[American Academy of Neurology Meeting in Toronto, 2010]
The People's Perspective on Medicine