A nutritious regimen abundant in fruits, vegetables, fish, and olive oil could be the secret to maintaining a sharp mind well into the golden years, as evidenced by recent research findings.
Throughout the challenging period of the COVID-19 pandemic, older adults in England who adhered to the Mediterranean diet—primarily comprising these nutrient-rich foods—reported better psychological well-being compared to those who did not.
The investigative team monitored over 3,000 individuals, aged between 50 and 90, to explore the connection between their dietary habits and perspective on life, according to their press release.
Participants completed comprehensive surveys designed to evaluate positive psychological attributes, such as their sense of autonomy, life satisfaction, purpose, and control over daily activities.
Additionally, each participant was assigned a score reflecting how closely their eating habits aligned with the traditional Mediterranean diet.
Adults who stuck closely to the Mediterranean diet reported a significantly stronger sense of overall well-being.
This finding held even after researchers accounted for factors like income, education, physical activity, smoking habits and general physical health.
The boost in well-being did not appear to be driven by differences in caloric intake, which suggests the specific types of food played an important role.
As the researchers tracked the participants over several years, they were able to measure how their well-being shifted during the early months of the pandemic.
While emotional well-being and happiness dropped across the entire group during the lockdowns, the study – which was published in BMJ Open – showed the decline was less intense for people who stuck to the Mediterranean diet.
Previous research points to a few explanations for this.
“This study shows what we’ve been seeing in other research,” Kim Kulp, registered dietitian nutritionist and owner of the Gut Health Connection in the San Francisco Bay Area, told Fox News Digital.
The Mediterranean diet is naturally rich in anti-inflammatory nutrients, including omega-3 fatty acids from fish and antioxidants called polyphenols found in extra-virgin olive oil.
These nutrients help to lower inflammation in the brain and support a healthy gut microbiome, which is directly linked to the chemical production of mood-regulating hormones, experts say.
“Since the Mediterranean diet is loaded with a variety of plant foods, it provides an increase in nutrients for the body and brain, special compounds that reduce inflammation, and prebiotics to feed the good gut microbes,” said Kulp, who was not involved in the study.
Researchers noted some limitations to the data, including the fact that the study relied on self-reported dietary surveys, which can sometimes be inaccurate.
Additionally, the participants who completed the tracking tended to be healthier and wealthier than the general public, meaning the results might not fully apply to more diverse or vulnerable populations.
“There were only two days of dietary data, and the psychological well-being test was only administered on two occasions, both early on during COVID,” Kulp noted. “Two days of data may not be enough to form conclusions.”
Because the study was observational, it could not prove a direct cause-and-effect relationship between the diet and improved mental health, the researchers acknowledged.
“Eating a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds and legumes provides the ultimate combination of nutrients to improve overall health as we age,” said Kulp.
“Together, this diet can help reduce stress and depression and improve a sense of well-being, even during the toughest times.”