Document Type
Journal Article
Publication Title
Nutrients
ISSN
2072-6643
Volume
11
Issue
7
PubMed ID
31277446
Publisher
MDPI
School
School of Medical and Health Sciences
RAS ID
29149
Abstract
Background: The Mediterranean diet may be capable of improving cognitive function. However, the red meat restrictions of the diet could impact long-term adherence in Western populations. The current study therefore examined the cognitive effects of a Mediterranean diet with additional red meat. Methods: A 24-week parallel crossover design compared a Mediterranean diet with 2–3 weekly servings of fresh, lean pork (MedPork) and a low-fat (LF) control diet. Thirty-five participants aged between 45 and 80 years and at risk of cardiovascular disease followed each intervention for 8 weeks, separated by an 8-week washout period. Cognitive function was assessed using the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery. Psychological well-being was measured through the SF-36 Health Survey and mood was measured using the Profile of Mood States (POMS). Results: During the MedPork intervention, participants consumed an average of 3 weekly servings of fresh pork. Compared to LF, the MedPork intervention led to higher processing speed performance (p = 0.01) and emotional role functioning (p = 0.03). No other significant differences were observed between diets. Conclusion: Our findings indicate that a Mediterranean diet inclusive of fresh, lean pork can be adhered to by an older non-Mediterranean population while leading to positive cognitive outcomes.
DOI
10.3390/nu11071521
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Comments
Originally published as: Wade, A. T., Davis, C. R., Dyer, K. A., Hodgson, J. M., Woodman, R. J., Keage, H. A., & Murphy, K. J. (2019). A Mediterranean diet with fresh, lean pork improves processing speed and mood: Cognitive findings from the MedPork randomised controlled trial. Nutrients, 11(7), Article 1521. Original publication available here