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>> The JAMA Network.
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>> My name is Emilio Ros.
I am a Senior Consultant at the Endocrinology Department of Hospital Clinic de Barcelona,
a university hospital.
Twelve years ago, we designed a [inaudible] intervention trial we call Predimed to test
a hypothesis that the Mediterranean diet would be superior to a low-fat diet for cardiovascular
prevention.
There was fair knowledge that the Mediterranean diet was good for health, usually for cardiovascular
health, and it was beginning to be a [inaudible] could also be good for the brain.
As we were designed a clinical trial, it seemed very suitable to study not only cardiovascular
risk, but also cognition and really the [inaudible] of dementia, which is another of the outcomes
of this study.
The participants in the [inaudible] study were older people of high cardiovascular risk.
The average age of this one was 67 years in these people.
What we perform for this particular study was a battery of psychological tests, tapping
on domains of both memory and frontal cognition.
We provided the supplemental foods for free to two groups of the study, so there was a
Mediterranean diet supplemented with extra virgin olive oil.
The participants got to consume at least five tablespoon-fuls per day.
And the other group was supplemented with mixed nuts.
Thirty grams per day of 15 grams walnuts and the rest with almonds and hazelnuts.
And the third was a control group.
They were from the baseline diet, but we advised them to reduce dietary fat.
The two Mediterranean diets improves cognition while the control group got worse cognition
throughout the duration of the trial.
The Mediterranean diet with nuts had a higher effect compared to the control group on memory
function while the Mediterranean with olive oil group had the better effect on frontal
function, executive function.
The two Mediterranean diets counteracted age-related cognition decline compared always to control
diet.
And it is important because this study is the first randomized clinical trial with an
outcome on cognition testing a [inaudible].
That is very important to begin this intervention the pre-clinical stage before they have developed
memory complaints or cardiovascular health problems.
Next steps on, from our group.
One is that outcome neurodegenerative disease in the whole [inaudible] cohort -- that means
dementia, Alzheimer, and other dementias and Parkinson's disease.
There is a study ongoing in our center on the effect of walnuts, a walnut diet versus
a control diet.
Also, on health aspects related to aging, such as also cognition and macrodegeneration.
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