Dementia experts around the world have shown that a huge increase in the prevalence of dementia is expected in the coming years.
In Greece, a survey by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation showed that, based on 2019 data, approximately 206,366 people are living with dementia in Greece, a number that is expected to rise to 298,617 by 2050, an increase of 45%.
In this context, in 2017, all 194 World Health Organization (WHO) Member States committed to implementing dementia risk reduction measures.
Knowing and avoiding or preventing the factors that contribute to dementia could contribute to better brain function health.
Some of the most central contributing factors to dementia are obesity, hypertension and diabetes mellitus.
Thus, in recent years, attention has increasingly turned to prevention and the maintenance of quality of life, with a strong emphasis on the association of the likelihood of dementia with lifestyle and diet. Research also focuses on the context of the criticality of nutrition in the 40-50 age group, in relation to cognitive health in subsequent ageing.
There is now, especially since 2010, an increasing number of studies that focus on trying to investigate the role of nutrition in cognitive health.
Based on the studies so far, the World Health Organization has given guidelines for reducing the risk of cognitive decline. These guidelines mainly recommend the Mediterranean diet, and the specialised diet for the control of hypertension (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension).
But these almost expected data link these types of diets to the prevention of obesity, hypertension and diabetes to prevent dementia. In other words, they tell us about the indirect effect of diet on cognition.
But there is new and growing research evidence that highlights the direct impact of nutrition on mental wellbeing. Polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids, polyphenols, unprocessed carbohydrates, and vitamins A, B, and D appear to be significantly associated with improved cognitive function.
Longitudinal studies (examining and re-examining participants at intervals) have mainly been done on the effect of monounsaturated fatty acids on cognition. But more are expected to be done, and on a wider range of food types, as they ultimately focus on what seems to be the important thing: knowledge about our food “now” to prevent “after”.
