For years, researchers have noticed that people who live in the Mediterranean basin tend to live longer and have fewer health problems like diabetes and heart disease. In their search for clues, investigators found that people in that area generally ate more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, fish, and monounsaturated fats like olive oil, and less saturated fats, sugar, meat, and dairy.

That discovery has inspired countless studies investigating the health benefits of the so-called Mediterranean diet, especially as it relates to heart health. Over the years, research has shown that olive oil reduces cholesterol levels, while nuts and fish have been linked to factors that promote heart health.

Now, two new studies reveal an association between a Mediterranean-style diet and brain health.

Reduced Risk for Stroke

In the long-running California Teachers Study, scientists reviewed the hospital and death records of 133,479 female public school teachers and administrators between 1996 and 2011 to calculate stroke incidence. The researchers assessed the women's eating habits based on food diaries. The results, which were presented at the International Stroke Conference in February 2015 in Nashville, TN, showed that women who adhered most closely to the principles of the Mediterranean diet had a 10 to 18 percent lower risk of any kind of stroke, including ischemic stroke, in which a blockage prevents blood from getting to the brain.

The lead author of the study, Ayesha Sherzai, MD, a neurologist and research scientist at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles, says it makes sense that a diet that improves cardiovascular health would also lower stroke risk. Olive oil, a staple of the diet, is known to decrease cholesterol. Nuts and fish contain omega-3 fatty acids, which help decrease blood clotting and improve blood vessel health, according to the American Heart Association.

Boosting Brain Volume

In a study sponsored by the National Institutes of Health and published online in October 2015 in Neurology, the official journal of the American Academy of Neurology, researchers found that elderly adults who adhered to a Mediterranean-style diet had less brain atrophy. The 674 study participants completed questionnaires about their diet over the past year and were grouped according to how closely their eating habits mimicked those of the Mediterranean diet. Brain scans showed that participants who reported more closely following the principles of the Mediterranean diet had greater brain volumes than those who did not.

It's unclear why the diet affected brain volume, but study author Yian Gu, PhD, an assistant professor of neuropsychology at Columbia University in New York City, says that the omega-3 unsaturated fatty acids and vitamins D and B found in fish might reduce inflammation and slow age-related brain atrophy. In contrast, the iron and saturated fatty acids in meat, which is consumed less frequently in a Mediterranean-style diet, along with chemicals produced by cooking these meats at high temperatures, might increase inflammation and cell damage.

"In previous studies of this population, we found that people who more closely followed a Mediterranean-type diet had a reduced risk of developing Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative diseases compared to people who didn't follow the diet," she says. With further research, Dr. Gu says she hopes to determine if the diet can protect the brains of elderly people who are still cognitively healthy.

Every Change Counts

Despite all this evidence, not everyone is ready to change their diet, says Laurel J. Cherian, MD, an assistant professor of neurology at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, who was impressed with the results of the California Teachers Study. She encourages people to make small tweaks to their eating habits, like switching from butter to olive oil. "I'd rather have a patient make some of these changes in his or her diet than try to follow it perfectly, become frustrated, and abandon it entirely. Even small dietary changes are effective."

Mediterranean Menu

Looking to incorporate the principles of the Mediterranean diet into your meals? This sample menu from Katherine Zeratsky, a dietitian and nutritionist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, should help you get started. For more information, visit the Mayo Clinic's page about the Mediterranean diet.

Breakfast

Mix blueberries into plain Greek yogurt and pair with a piece of whole-grain toast topped with apple slices and peanut butter. Fruit and whole grains will keep you pleasantly full for hours, says Zeratsky.

Lunch

Garnish hummus or eggplant dip (baba ghanoush) with olives and spread on pita bread or sliced vegetables. Finish your meal with a sweet clementine or two.

Dinner

Create a vegetarian flatbread pizza with whole wheat crust, topped with pesto, apple, onion, feta cheese, pine nuts, and arugula.

Dessert

Sprinkle a bowl of grapes with chopped walnuts and add a dollop of fat-free sour cream infused with lemon for a new twist on fruit salad.