The Association of Healthful Diets and Cognitive Function: a Review

The association of diet with mild cognitive impairment has not been extensively studied. Consumption of a healthful diet may help to attenuate age-related decline in older adults. Published studies have suggested that greater adherence to a Mediterranean-style dietary pattern is associated with a lower risk of developing Alzheimer's disease and with a slower rate of cognitive decline with age. However, published findings are inconsistent. The discrepancies most likely can be explained by the variations in both dietary and cognitive methodologies. It is not clear how diet contributes to the development of neurocognitive changes with age. This review will update available knowledge on the relationship between adherence to healthful diets and cognition and document the need for researchers to adopt more coherent and uniform methodology to allow for better quantification of the association of diet with cognitive function. There appears to be a relationship between diet and cognition.