Overview

• Published in Age and Ageing, the international study led by Universitat Rovira i Virgili and Spain’s CIBER followed 747 adults aged 60–70 with overweight or metabolic risk for six years.
• Participants who ate 3 to 7 weekly 30 g servings of nuts maintained better cognitive performance than peers consuming one serving or less.
• Habitual nut consumers showed greater gut microbiota diversity and bacteria associated with metabolites tied to memory, attention and learning.
• The team calls it the first prospective analysis to jointly assess nut intake, the microbiome and cognition, with authors Jiaqi Ni and Jordi Salas-Salvadó saying it opens new research avenues.
• Experts in related forums emphasized Mediterranean-style eating and warned about ultra-processed foods as part of practical strategies to support healthy cognitive aging.