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Mediterranean diet and 3-year Alzheimer brain biomarker changes in middle-aged adults
Berti V, Walters M, Sterling J, Quinn CG, Logue M, Andrews R, Matthews DC, Osorio RS et al.. Neurology, 2018-04-13
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
Objective To examine in a 3-year brain imaging study the effects of higher vs lower adherence to a Mediterranean-style diet (MeDi) on Alzheimer disease (AD) biomarker changes (brain β-amyloid load via 11 C-Pittsburgh compound B [PiB] PET and neurodegeneration via 18 F-fluorodeoxyglucose [FDG] PET and structural MRI) in midlife. Methods Seventy 30- to 60-year-old cognitively normal participants with clinical, neuropsychological, and dietary examinations and imaging biomarkers at least 2 years apart were examined. These included 34 participants with higher (MeDi+) and 36 with lower (MeDi-) MeDi adherence. Statistical parametric mapping and volumes of interest were used to compare AD biomarkers between groups at cross section and longitudinally. Results MeDi groups were comparable for clinical and neuropsychological measures. At baseline, compared to the MeDi+ group, the MeDi- group showed reduced FDG-PET glucose metabolism (CMRglc) and higher PiB-PET deposition in AD-affected regions ( p p interaction Conclusion Lower MeDi adherence was associated with progressive AD biomarker abnormalities in middle-aged adults. These data support further investigation of dietary interventions for protection against brain aging and AD.
Key findings
- Results MeDi groups were comparable for clinical and neuropsychological measures.
- At baseline, compared to the MeDi+ group, the MeDi- group showed reduced FDG-PET glucose metabolism (CMRglc) and higher PiB-PET deposition in AD-affected regions ( p p interaction Conclusion Lower MeDi adherence was associated with progressive AD biomarker abnormalities in middle-aged adults.
Why it matters
In middle-aged adults without cognitive problems, lower adherence to a Mediterranean-style diet was associated with worsening Alzheimer-related brain imaging markers over three years. The authors call for further study of dietary interventions, so this does not yet show that diet prevents Alzheimer disease.
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Study details
- Participants34
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 58/100
Published in a leading specialty journal. Scored zero for study design, effect reported and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 9 / 10 | Tier 2 — leading specialty journal (Neurology) |
| Journal's citation record | 4 / 4 | Neurology: journal h-index 525 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 2 / 5 | 2018 — within 10 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 1 / 4 | 34 participants |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (participant count stated) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 5 / 7 | Cited 246 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 4 / 5 | 24.6 citations a year over 10 year(s) since 2018 |
| Impact for its field and year | 5 / 6 | Cited 23.1× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 3 / 6 | Cited by 13 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 42 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author Lisa Mosconi: h-index 67 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | New York University: institution h-index 1,612 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 4 institution(s) in 2 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 29653991) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 58 / 100 | — |
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Read the original
- DOI: 10.1212/wnl.0000000000005527
- PubMed: 29653991
- Original source →
- Free full text: PubMed Central →
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record's author list ends in “et al.”, so not every author is named. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Berti, V., Walters, M., Sterling, J., Quinn, C. G., Logue, M., Andrews, R., et al. (2018). Mediterranean diet and 3-year Alzheimer brain biomarker changes in middle-aged adults. Neurology. https://doi.org/10.1212/wnl.0000000000005527
Vancouver
Berti V, Walters M, Sterling J, Quinn CG, Logue M, Andrews R, et al. Mediterranean diet and 3-year Alzheimer brain biomarker changes in middle-aged adults. Neurology. 2018. doi:10.1212/wnl.0000000000005527. PMID: 29653991.
BibTeX
@article{berti2018-29653991,
author = {Berti, V. and Walters, M. and Sterling, J. and Quinn, C. G. and Logue, M. and Andrews, R. and Matthews, D. C. and Osorio, R. S. and others},
title = {{Mediterranean diet and 3-year Alzheimer brain biomarker changes in middle-aged adults}},
journal = {Neurology},
year = {2018},
doi = {10.1212/wnl.0000000000005527},
pmid = {29653991},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1212/wnl.0000000000005527}
}
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