The finding, published in the early online addition of Annals of Neurology, comes from a study of 2,258 older adults in New York, according to CBS news.
At the study's start, participants were in their 70s, on average, and none had dementia. Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia in seniors.
"The main finding of the study is that higher adherence to a Mediterranean diet type of food consumption is associated with decreased risk for developing Alzheimer's disease," neurologist Nikoloas Scarmeas, M.D., tells WebMD, who was also part of the study.
Other similar studies indicate that the diet can extend life by keeping the heart in good shape and staving off cancer.
