Not just a suggestion or a mere possibility, the report states, "the magnitude of the effect was considerable", meaning that a Mediterranean diet, which is high in vegetables, fruits, legumes, unsaturated fats (namely due to olive oil), seafood and wine, plays a major role in slowing down the progression of Alzheimer's in patients formerly diagnosed with the disease. The study was headed by Dr. Nikolaos Scarmeas of Columbia University Medical Center in New York City, who stated in a press release that more benefits of the Mediterranean diet keep surfacing.

This particular study involved over 190 Alzheimer's patients - all of whom were divided into three groups according to how closely their diet mirrored that of the Mediterranean diet. The study took place over 4.4 years, during which time 85% of the Alzheimer patients had died. The middle group of people with Alzheimer's were shown to live 1.33 years longer than the group whose diet was further from a Mediterranean diet, while the group whose diet mirrored the Mediterranean closest were shown to live approximately four years longer than the middle group, which translated into a 73% lower chance of death.