Diabetes mellitus has been associated with impaired cognitive performance, particularly in verbal memory. Mediterranean diets (MedD) may lead to improvements in overall and single cognitive functions. This study hypothesized that adherence to MedD associates with better performance in verbal memory in patients with type 1 or type 2 diabetes. A cross-sectional analysis included patients with recently diagnosed type 1 (n=75) or type 2 diabetes (n=118), metabolically healthy individuals (n=41), and individuals with type 1 (n=44) or type 2 diabetes (n=62) diagnosed at least five years prior. Participants underwent metabolic phenotyping and cognitive testing. Among patients with type 2 diabetes with a known diabetes duration ≥5 years, closer adherence to the Modified Mediterranean Diet Scale (MMDS) was associated with higher verbal memory scores after adjusting for confounders (P=0.043). This association was not observed in other groups. In conclusion, closer adherence to MedD may benefit cognitive performance in long-standing type 2 diabetes.

Theresa Kössler, Katharina S. Weber, Wolfgang Wölwer, Annika Hoyer, Klaus Strassburger, Volker Burkart, Julia Szendroedi, Michael Roden, Karsten Müssig