Overview

• The Nature Medicine study analyzed 4,215 women in the Nurses' Health Study (1989–2023) and validated findings in 1,490 men in the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study (1993–2023).
• Participants with more Mediterranean-style eating had fewer dementia diagnoses and slower cognitive decline, with the strongest relative benefit observed in APOE4 homozygotes.
• Media coverage quoting the authors reports about a 35% lower dementia risk among people with two APOE4 copies who closely followed the diet.
• Plasma metabolomic profiles differed by genetic risk and appeared responsive to the eating pattern, suggesting biological pathways that may help explain cognitive benefits.
• Authors note the observational design and predominantly well-educated, European-ancestry cohorts limit generalizability, and they call for replication and future causal tests before clinical adoption.