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Review
. 2022 Jun;11(2):146-160.
doi: 10.1007/s13668-022-00412-5. Epub 2022 Mar 25.

Effect of Dietary Intake Through Whole Foods on Cognitive Function: Review of Randomized Controlled Trials

Rozmin Jiwani  1   2 , Ronna Robbins  3 , Alfonso Neri  4 , Jose Renero  3 , Emme Lopez  5 , Monica C Serra  3
Affiliations
Review

Effect of Dietary Intake Through Whole Foods on Cognitive Function: Review of Randomized Controlled Trials

Rozmin Jiwani et al. Curr Nutr Rep. 2022 Jun.

Abstract

Purpose of review: This review evaluated recent randomized controlled trials (RCTs) examining the chronic intake of whole foods associated with the Mediterranean, Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH), Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurogenerative Delay (MIND), and ketogenic (KETO) diets on cognitive function.

Recent findings: We identified RCTs related to olive oil (N = 3), nuts (N = 7), fatty fish (N = 1), lean meats (N = 4), fruits and vegetables (N = 9), legumes (N = 1), and low-fat dairy (N = 4), with 26/29 reporting positive results on at least one measure of cognition. We also identified 6 RCTs related to whole food-induced KETO diets, with half reporting positive effects on cognition. Variations in study design (i.e., generally the studies are < 6 months and include middle-aged and older, cognitively intact participants) and small sample sizes make it difficult to draw conclusions across studies; however, the current evidence from RCTs generally supports individual component intakes of these dietary patterns as an effective, nonpharmacological approach to improve cognitive health in adults.

Keywords: Cognitive function; DASH diet; Ketogenic diet; MIND diet; Mediterranean diet; Whole foods.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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