Home › Research › Prevention trials
Mediterranean diet, gut microbiota, and cognitive decline in older adults with obesity/overweight and metabolic syndrome: a prospective cohort study
Jiaqi Ni, Adrián Hernández-Cacho, Stephanie K. Nishi, Nancy Babió, Clara Belzer, Prokopis Konstati, Jesús Vioqué, Dolores Corella et al.. BMC Medicine, 2025-12-01
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Higher adherence to the MedDiet was associated with greater gut microbial diversity (p < 0.05) and distinct microbial composition (PERMANOVA, p = 0.001). The MedDiet-GMS comprised 20 taxa, including short-chain fatty acid-producers (e.g., Barnesiella, Butyricicoccus) positively weighted and pro-inflammatory taxa (e.g., Eggerthella) negatively weighted. Both higher MEDAS scores (p = 0.007) and MedDiet-GMS (p = 0.036) were independently associated with slower global cognitive decline. The MedDiet-GMS was additionally linked to preserved executive function (p = 0.049), while MEDAS was associated with attenuated general cognitive decline (p = 0.028). Eggerthella, inversely associated with MedDiet adherence, was linked to greater executive function decline (FDR < 0.05). Greater adherence to the MedDiet was associated with a favorable gut microbiota profile and slower cognitive decline over 6-year of follow-up. A microbiome-derived signature of MedDiet adherence was prospectively associated with favorable cognitive trajectories in older adults at risk of cognitive decline. External validation and experimental research are warranted to translate these findings into targeted microbiome-based dietary interventions for healthy cognitive aging.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Ni, J., Hernández-Cacho, A., Nishi, S. K., Babió, N., Belzer, C., Konstati, P., et al. (2025). Mediterranean diet, gut microbiota, and cognitive decline in older adults with obesity/overweight and metabolic syndrome: a prospective cohort study. BMC Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-025-04488-y
Vancouver
Ni J, Hernández-Cacho A, Nishi SK, Babió N, Belzer C, Konstati P, et al. Mediterranean diet, gut microbiota, and cognitive decline in older adults with obesity/overweight and metabolic syndrome: a prospective cohort study. BMC Medicine. 2025. doi:10.1186/s12916-025-04488-y. PMID: 41327300.
BibTeX
@article{ni2025-41327300,
author = {Ni, Jiaqi and Hernández-Cacho, Adrián and Nishi, Stephanie K. and Babió, Nancy and Belzer, Clara and Konstati, Prokopis and Vioqué, Jesús and Corella, Dolores and others},
title = {{Mediterranean diet, gut microbiota, and cognitive decline in older adults with obesity/overweight and metabolic syndrome: a prospective cohort study}},
journal = {BMC Medicine},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.1186/s12916-025-04488-y},
pmid = {41327300},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-025-04488-y}
}
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.
Key findings
- Higher adherence to the MedDiet was associated with greater gut microbial diversity (p < 0.05) and distinct microbial composition (PERMANOVA, p = 0.001).
- The MedDiet-GMS comprised 20 taxa, including short-chain fatty acid-producers (e.g., Barnesiella, Butyricicoccus) positively weighted and pro-inflammatory taxa (e.g., Eggerthella) negatively weighted.
- Both higher MEDAS scores (p = 0.007) and MedDiet-GMS (p = 0.036) were independently associated with slower global cognitive decline.
- The MedDiet-GMS was additionally linked to preserved executive function (p = 0.049), while MEDAS was associated with attenuated general cognitive decline (p = 0.028).
- Eggerthella, inversely associated with MedDiet adherence, was linked to greater executive function decline (FDR < 0.05).
Why it matters
In this six-year study of older adults at risk of cognitive decline, greater Mediterranean diet adherence was linked to a more favorable gut microbe profile and slower cognitive decline. It is an observational cohort study, so it cannot prove that the diet causes the slower decline, and external validation is still needed.
New to this subject? Start with our plain-English guide: Prevention →
Study details
- Study designlongitudinal study
- Participants746
- Evidence strengthModerate
How this study scored 66/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal, and it is a longitudinal study following the same people over time. Scored zero for effect reported and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (BMC Medicine) |
| Journal's citation record | 3 / 4 | BMC Medicine: journal h-index 259 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 7 / 12 | A longitudinal study following the same people over time |
| Strength of evidence | 3 / 5 | Rated “moderate” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 4 / 5 | 2025 — within 3 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 2 / 4 | 746 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 | 3 / 7 | Cited 18 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 2 / 5 | 6.0 citations a year over 3 year(s) since 2025 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 15.3× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 2 / 6 | Cited by 3 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 18 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 4 / 4 | Last-listed author Jordi Salas‐Salvadó: h-index 130 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 3 / 3 | Harvard University: institution h-index 3,235 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 3 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 28 institution(s) in 4 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 41327300) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Total | 66 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
Studies this one cites
Referenced by this study and also in the alzhub library, so you can read them here.
Later studies that cite this one
3 studies in the alzhub library list this one in their references.
Related studies in Prevention trials
Also tagged “controlled”
1,118 studies in the library carry the topic tag “controlled”; these are this study's neighbours in a fixed, alphabetical-by-hash tour of them, not the closest in content. All 1,118 tagged studies.