THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ADHERENCE TO A MEDITERRANEAN DIET AND COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT AMONG THE ELDERLY IN MOROCCO

Background: Material/ Methods: Results: Conclusions: SUMMARY The Mediterranean Diet has long been regarded as one of the promising strategies for the prevention of cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease. Aim: This study aimed to determine the association between adherence to a MedDiet and the risk of cognitive impairment (CI) among the elderly in Morocco. Due to their complete data, a sample of 172 (56.4% men) from 237 subjects were included in our study. Cognitive functions were assessed by the MMSE test (Mini-Mental State Examina-tion). Adherence to a MedDiet was assessed using a validated questionnaire based on weekly consumption of the seven main MedDiet foods: non-refined cereals, potatoes, fruits (whole or in juice), vegetables (cooked or as salad), legumes, fish, olive oil, and three foods consumed less frequently in a MedDiet: red meats, poultry, and full-fat dairy products. A binary logistic re-gression was performed, with cognitive function as the depend-ent variable MedDiet adherence score as well as the aliment consumption frequency associated with CI in the bivariate analysis as an independent variable. The binary logistic regression adjusted for confounding vari-ables revealed that adherence to a MedDiet is not associated with a lower risk of cognitive impairment (ORa= 0.928; 95% CI; [0.831-1.037]) (ORa: Adjusted Odd Ratio; 95% CI: 95% of Confi-dence Interval). However, only Olive Oil consumption was a pro-tective factor against CI (ORa= 0.882; 95% CI; [0.815-0.953]). These findings highlight the importance of sensitizing older adults, whether normal or cognitively impaired, to regular consumption in order to prevent the development of Alzheimer's disease later in life.