- The Mediterranean diet, which includes lots of fruit, vegetables, and fish, has gained popularity due to its links to good health.
- Past studies show that following the Mediterranean diet may help improve our brain health by slowing brain aging and protecting against brain-related diseases like dementia.
- A new study has found that an offshoot of the Mediterranean diet — called the green Mediterranean diet — may also help slow brain aging.
Over the last few years, the Mediterranean diet has gained in popularity due to its links to good health.
Past studies show that following the Mediterranean diet may help us live longer, ward off chronic conditions like type 2 diabetes and heart disease, and also helps improve brain health by slowing brain aging and lowering a person’s risk for cognitive decline.
Previous research has also shown that the Mediterranean diet may help decrease a person’s risk for brain-related conditions like Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of
Now, a new study recently published in the journal Clinical Nutrition has found that an offshoot of the Mediterranean diet — called the green Mediterranean diet — may also help slow brain aging.
For this study, researchers focused on the impact of following the green Mediterranean diet over the standard Mediterranean diet and a standard healthy diet.
“The foundation of the ‘green’ Mediterranean diet is very similar to the ‘original dietary pattern with a focus on a wide variety of vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains, fish, and olive oil,” Monique Richard, MS, RDN, LDN, a registered dietitian nutritionist and owner of Nutrition-In-Sight — who was not involved in this study — told Medical News Today.
“The ‘green spin’ on this is simply dialing up foods especially rich in polyphenols and plant-based proteins, while dialing back on red or processed meats,” she pointed out.
Richard said that some of the polyphenol-rich foods emphasized in the green-Mediterranean diet are green tea, Mankai (duckweed), and walnuts.
To test their hypothesis, researchers analyzed Health data from about 300 participants of the DIRECT PLUS trial, which studies the link between diet and the brain. Over an 18-month period, study participants were asked to consume one of three diets:
- A standard healthy diet
- A traditional calorie-restricted Mediterranean diet
- A green-Mediterranean diet
During the study, researchers measured 87 different proteins found in participants’ blood serum, or the liquid part of the blood.
Specific blood proteins linked to aging
Scientists found that two specific proteins, Galectin-9 (Gal-9) and
At the study’s conclusion, researchers discovered that participants following the green Mediterranean diet had decreased levels of these proteins compared to the other two study groups.
“Studying the circulating proteins in blood allows us to observe, in a real-life setting, how the brain’s aging processes are influenced by lifestyle and dietary changes,” Anat Meir, PhD, a postdoctoral research fellow at Harvard Chan School and co-lead author of this study, says in a press release.
“[Studying proteins in blood] gives us a dynamic window into brain health, helping to reveal biological changes long before symptoms may appear. By mapping these protein signatures, we gain powerful new insight into how interventions, such as diet, may help preserve cognitive function as we age.”
— Anat Meir, PhD
MNT spoke with Jasdeep S. Hundal, PsyD, ABPP-CN, director of The Center for Memory & Healthy Aging at Hackensack Meridian Jersey Shore University Medical Center, and associate professor of psychiatry and neurology at Hackensack Meridian Health School of Medicine in New Jersey, about this study, who believes its findings are promising because they strengthen the link between diet and brain Health.
“While more long term, diverse research is needed, the findings align with the lifestyle strategies we already emphasize with patients, particularly adopting diets rich in plant-based proteins, polyphenols, and healthy fats,” Hundal explained.
“We do not have cures for Alzheimer’s or most other neurodegenerative conditions, so lifestyle factors are a critical area of research. Diet is a modifiable risk factor and so something people can change and that may help delay or slow cognitive decline.”
— Jasdeep S. Hundal, PsyD, ABPP-CN
“Larger, long-term studies across more diverse groups are needed to confirm these findings,” he added. “It will also be important to examine how diet works in combination with other lifestyle factors like sleep, exercise, and stress management, since brain aging is influenced by many factors.”
We asked Richard for her top tips on how to try the green Mediterranean diet for readers who may be interested.
“Remember that you don’t need perfect — a few green swaps can make a meaningful difference,” she said.
Richard suggested these easy ways to start the green-Mediterranean diet:
- Swap one meat entrée a week for a bean- or lentil-based dish (think soup, tacos, stews, and chilies).
- Sip fresh-brewed green tea (3-4 cups) in place of sugary or artificially sweetened beverages.
- Add a handful of walnuts as a snack, or as a salad or fruit topper.
- Trade in chips, cookies, or crackers for sunflower seeds, hummus + cauliflower, or kale chips.
- If affordable and accessible, explore leafy greens or herbs beyond your usual favorites, such as microgreens, Mankai, seaweed, or purslane.
- If Mankai or other greens are not available, try adding fresh, frozen, freeze-dried, or powdered nutritional green powerhouses (e.g., arugula, kale, mint, basil, spinach, and broccoli sprouts) to smoothies, yogurt parfaits, or soups.
“We have consistently seen that dietary patterns rich in plants, polyphenols, and healthy fats — similar to the Mediterranean dietary pattern — support brain health, and so much more. The ‘green’ Mediterranean approach, which emphasizes even more polyphenol-rich foods [o]ffers another exciting layer of evidence that food choices can influence brain aging and cognitive resilience. Feed your brain with color and plant compounds — your future self will thank you.”
— Monique Richard, MS, RDN, LDN
“However, we do need to keep in mind, pun intended, that these factors are only part of the multitude of variables that contribute to brain function, aging, and overall health,” she continued.
“Also, though promising, most human brain-aging data are still from relatively short trials and in specific populations. More research is needed on long-term safety (e.g., high manganese content, interactions in certain health conditions) and how these components affect outcomes as well as vary by age, sex, geography, genetics, body composition, and lifestyle choices,” she added.
