Mediterranean diet and stroke, cognitive impairment, depression: a meta-analysis.

Auteur(s) :
Psaltopoulou T., Sergentanis TN., Panagiotakos DB.
Date :
Mai, 2013
Source(s) :
Ann Neurol.. # p
Adresse :
Department of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, University of Athens School of Medicine, Athens, Greece.

Sommaire de l'article

OBJECTIVE: This meta-analysis aims to quantitatively synthesize all studies that examine the association between adherence to a Mediterranean diet and risk of stroke, depression, cognitive impairment and Parkinson's disease.

METHODS: Potentially eligible publications were those providing effect estimates of relative risk (RR) for the association between Mediterranean diet and the aforementioned outcomes. Studies were sought in PubMed up to October 31, 2012. Maximally adjusted effect estimates were extracted; separate analyses were performed for high and moderate adherence.

RESULTS: 22 eligible studies were included (11 for stroke, nine for depression and eight for cognitive impairment; only one pertained to Parkinson's disease). High adherence to Mediterranean diet was consistently associated with reduced risk for stroke (RR=0.71, 95%CI: 0.57-0.89), depression (RR=0.68, 95%CI: 0.54-0.86) and cognitive impairment (RR=0.60, 95%CI: 0.43-0.83). Moderate adherence was similarly associated with reduced risk for depression and cognitive impairment, whereas the protective trend concerning stroke was only marginal. Subgroup analyses highlighted the protective actions of high adherence in terms of reduced risk for ischemic stroke, mild cognitive impairment, dementia and particularly Alzheimer's disease. Meta-regression analysis indicated that the protective effects of Mediterranean diet in stroke prevention seemed more sizeable among males. Concerning depression, the protective effects of high adherence seemed independent of age, whereas the favorable actions of moderate adherence seemed to fade away along with older age.

INTERPRETATION: Adherence to a Mediterranean diet may contribute to the prevention of a series of brain diseases; this may be of special value given the aging of Western societies.

Source : Pubmed
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