Healthy Nordic Diet Better than Mediterranean for Brain Health

Healthy Nordic Diet Protects Brain Health
Researchers from the Karolinska Institute in Sweden found that – in a group of more than 2,200 older adults – people sticking to a Healthy Nordic Diet (including non-root vegetables, certain fruits, fish and poultry, canola oil and wine) enjoyed better cognitive status than individuals who ate a less healthy diet.

Weili Xu, M.D., Ph.D., at the Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, and colleagues sought to identify dietary habits associated with preserved cognitive function in 2,223 community-dwelling, dementia-free adults in Sweden. The investigators found during six years of follow-up that even moderate adherence to a healthy diet known as the Nordic Prudent Dietary Pattern

Canola Oil aka Rapeseed Oil prominent in Healthy Nordic diet

(NPDP) resulted in better cognitive status than individuals who ate a less healthy diet that included fatty foods, sweets and processed foods. In this population, NPDP was found to be a better predictor of preserved cognitive function than the MIND diet, Mediterranean diet, DASH diet and Baltic Sea Diet.

The NPDP included:

• More frequent consumption of non-root vegetables, apple/pears/peaches,pasta/rice, poultry, fish, vegetable oils  (especially CANOLA OIL, rich in Omega3’s and mono-unsaturated fats), tea and water, and light to moderate wine intake.
• Less frequent intake of root vegetables, refined grains/cereals, butter/margarine, sugar/sweets/pastries, and fruit juice.

Weili Xu, MD, Ph.D., et al. Which Dietary Index May Predict Preserved Cognitive Function in Nordic Older Adults? (Funder(s): CoSTREAM project; EU’s Horizon 2020 Research & Innovation Programme)   AAIC  July 2017   London, England

source: alz.org  AAIC Press releases

More about Weili Xu, MD, PhD

note: Dr. Xu’s earlier research looks at how excess weight and obesity in mid life increases one’s risk of dementia in later life.  She published several articles on this topic.