The Brain: Red Meat and Mediterranean Diet

Entorhinal Cortex Highlighted in Blue

Previous posts in this blog have highlighted some the research related to links between brain health and elements of the Mediterranean diet.

I want to inform readers of a new important research study from the Mayo Clinic.

In this study, researchers completed brain cortical thickness analyses on 672 cognitively normal adults. It is generally accepted that greater cortical thickness relates to improved cognitive performance.

The participants completed an extensive dietary history and brain cortical thickness measures were correlated to total and component Mediterranean diet intake. Here are the key findings from the study:

• Higher Mediterranean diet total scores were linked to greater cortical thickness measures in frontal, parietal, occipital and total brain
• Higher legume and fish component intake had the highest links to greater cortical thickness
• Legume intake correlated with greater cortical thickness in parietal, precuneus, occipital and lingual regions
• Fish intake correlated with greater precuneus, parietal and posterior cingulate cortical thickness
• Carbohydrate intake was linked to lower entorhinal cortical thickness
• Red meat intake correlated with greater entorhinal cortical thickness

This study in important for several reasons. First, it highlights specific components (legume and fish) of the Mediterranean diet with thicker brain cortices.

But what I found most interesting was the red meat finding.  Red meat intake was associated with slightly smaller cortices in two parietal regions. However, this association did not reach statistical significance. The association of red meat intake with greater entorhinal cortex thickness did reach statistical significance. 

The authors note some of the epidemiological research linking red meat intake to increased rates of dementia. This made their finding of a positive entorhinal cortex finding with red meat intake unexpected and they note in discussion section:

"The potential mechanism is unclear; we speculate that it could relate to some beneficial components of lean read meat (e.g. iron, protein, MUFA and PUFA) and beneficial effects on increasing satiety and reducing weight gain."

The entorhinal cortex is a key brain region serving as a link between the hippocampus and neocortex. The Wikipedia description of the role for the entorhinal cortex includes important contributions to:

• declarative memory
• spatial memory
• memory consolidation
• memory optimization in sleep

This study is observational in nature and shares weakness with this type of research design. The findings will need replication. Nevertheless, the study suggests fish, legume and lean red meat intake may contribute to preservation of brain cortical health.

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Image is an iPad screen shot of the entorhinal cortex from the 3D Brain app.

To access the study abstract, click on the PMID link below.


Staubo SC, Aakre JA, Vemuri P, Syrjanen JA, Mielke MM, Geda YE, Kremers WK, Machulda MM, Knopman DS, Petersen RC, Jack CR Jr, & Roberts RO (2016). Mediterranean diet, micronutrients and macronutrients, and MRI measures of cortical thickness. Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association PMID: 27461490