WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The green-Mediterranean diet may help protect against brain aging by reducing protein markers tied to cognitive decline, according to new research.
A study published in Clinical Nutrition found that adopting the green-Mediterranean diet which builds on the traditional Mediterranean diet by adding green tea and the aquatic plant Mankai was linked to slower brain aging.
The research was conducted by scientists from Ben-Gurion University, the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and the University of Leipzig.
Neurological conditions such as mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease are often associated with an increased 'brain age gap,' where the brain appears biologically older than a person's actual age.
To test whether diet could influence this process, researchers analyzed data from nearly 300 participants in the DIRECT PLUS trial, one of the largest long-term studies on diet and brain health.
Over 18 months, participants followed either a standard healthy diet, a traditional calorie-restricted Mediterranean diet, or the green-Mediterranean diet. When researchers examined blood protein levels, they found that higher concentrations of certain proteins correlated with accelerated brain aging.
Those markers, however, declined in participants on the green-Mediterranean diet, suggesting that anti-inflammatory compounds in green tea and Mankai may play a protective role.
'Studying circulating proteins in blood allows us to see, in real life, how the brain's aging processes are shaped by lifestyle and diet,' said Anat Meir, a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard Chan School and co-lead author. 'By mapping these protein signatures, we gain insight into how interventions such as diet may preserve cognitive function as we age.'
The study, titled Serum Galectin-9 and Decorin in relation to brain aging and the green-Mediterranean diet, was published on August 23, 2025, in Clinical Nutrition.
It was supported by the German Research Foundation, Israel's Ministry of Health and Ministry of Science and Technology, and the California Walnut Commission.
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