Can your diet fight Alzheimer’s? Scientists reveal the cuisine that could override the genetic risk

A new study published in Nature Medicine suggests that a Mediterranean-style diet could help reduce the likelihood of dementia, including in people who carry the highest known genetic risk for Alzheimer’s disease, ANI reported.

The research was led by investigators from Mass General Brigham, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. They found that individuals carrying two copies of the APOE4 gene variant, the highest known genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s, showed the greatest benefit from following a Mediterranean diet.

"One reason we wanted to study the Mediterranean diet is because it is the only dietary pattern that has been causally linked to cognitive benefits in a randomized trial," ANI quoted the study's first author Yuxi Liu, PhD, research fellow in the Department of Medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital and postdoctoral fellow at the Harvard Chan School and Broad.


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"We wanted to see whether this benefit might be different in people with varying genetic backgrounds, and to examine the role of blood metabolites, the small molecules that reflect how the body processes food and carries out normal functions," Liu added.

Alzheimer’s disease has a strong genetic component, with heritability estimated at up to 80%. The APOE4 variant is the most significant risk factor. People with one copy of APOE4 have a 3- to 4-fold higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s, while those with two copies face a 12-fold higher risk.

To assess the impact of diet, researchers studied data from 4,215 women in the Nurses’ Health Study and validated findings with 1,490 men in the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study. Participants were tracked for more than three decades using food frequency questionnaires, blood samples, genetic data, and cognitive tests.

The findings showed that people following a Mediterranean-style diet not only had a lower risk of dementia but also experienced slower cognitive decline over time.

"These findings suggest that dietary strategies, specifically the Mediterranean diet, could help reduce the risk of cognitive decline and stave off dementia by broadly influencing key metabolic pathways," Liu said.

"This recommendation applies broadly, but it may be even more important for individuals at a higher genetic risk, such as those carrying two copies of the APOE4 genetic variant," she added.

Researchers noted that the study had some limitations, including the fact that most participants were well-educated and of European ancestry. They cautioned that more diverse research is needed before translating these findings into routine medical practice.

(With inputs from ANI)