Food provides many nutrients that help maintain physical and brain function. However, if the links between diet and brain function are real, they are also very complex.

Indeed, food goes beyond the contents of the plate (or glass); it encompasses the act of feeding oneself, punctuates the person’s days and social relations. This is why considering food through a few “miracle” foods is far too simplistic.

No food, whatever its properties, can alone improve our memory or even reduce the effects of aging on our brain. It is a set of nutrients, exerting synergistic effects which, in the long term, can have a beneficial effect on our brain health.

To date, the most robust scientific data are in favor of the so-called “Mediterranean” diet.

This diet is characterized by a significant intake of whole grains, fish, fruit and vegetables, garlic, onion, by the use of olive oil as the main fatty substance, the daily consumption of legumes, nuts and seeds, yogurt and cheese, average consumption of chicken, eggs and sugary foods, very little red meat and a reasonable daily calorie intake (1,800 to 2,500 calories per day).

The protective effect of this diet on cardiovascular diseases has been amply demonstrated and the same nutrients might help limit vascular cerebral damage and delay memory decline in people advancing in age, or even reduce the risk of developing a Alzheimer’s disease.