Mediterranean diet study
A new study links the Mediterranean diet’s combo of healthy fats, fiber and whole foods to heart and brain benefits — green leafy veg intake was associated with a 16% lower heart disease risk in the analysis (local12.com). The research also found the diet lowers risk of both ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke in women and may reduce dementia risk when paired with regular physical activity ( ).
A small cross-sectional study led by Roberto Vicinanza found higher circulating mitochondrial microproteins Humanin and SHMOOSE in people with high Mediterranean-diet adherence (n=49, mean age 78.4), published March 9, 2026 in Frontiers in Nutrition (frontiersin.org). (frontiersin.org) Patients in the USC-linked analysis showed statistically higher SHMOOSE (p=0.046) and Humanin (p=0.045), with Humanin positively correlated with olive oil, fish and legumes and SHMOOSE linked to olive oil intake and lower refined bread consumption (frontiersin.org). (frontiersin.org) A separate, much larger cohort study published Feb. 4, 2026 in Neurology® Open Access tracked 105,614 women (average age 53) for ~21 years and recorded 4,083 strokes; women in the highest Mediterranean-score group had 18% lower overall stroke risk, 16% lower ischemic stroke risk and 25% lower hemorrhagic stroke risk (aan.com / Neurology Open Access). (aan.com) The Danish Diet, Cancer, and Health cohort (53,150 participants, 23 years follow-up) reported that a moderate vegetable-nitrate intake (~60 mg/day, roughly one cup of leafy greens) was associated with ≈15% lower cardiovascular disease risk and a 2.58 mmHg lower baseline systolic blood pressure in the highest-intake quintile (europepmc.org / Eur J Epidemiol 2021). (europepmc.org) A UK Biobank analysis of 60,298 people found high adherence to a Mediterranean-like diet linked to up to a 23% lower incidence of dementia over an average 9.1 years of follow-up, with that association observed independent of polygenic dementia risk (BMC Medicine, 2023). (link.springer.com) The MedEx-UK randomized feasibility trial (≈104 older adults at elevated dementia risk) reported a 24‑week Mediterranean-diet intervention increased MEDAS scores by 3.7 points at 24 weeks (sustained +2.7 points at 48 weeks) and the diet-plus-physical-activity arm showed short-term reductions in pulse-pressure variability and ambulatory arterial stiffness—providing trial evidence that combining diet and activity changes cardiovascular markers linked to brain health (BMC Medicine; trial reporting). (pure-oai.bham.ac.uk)
