Research Information System
USK Ulusal Sinirbilim Kongresi, İzmir, Turkey, 28 - 31 October 2025, pp.11, (Summary Text)
With the global increase in life expectancy, cognitive decline has increasingly been documented not only among the elderly but also within younger and middle-aged adult populations. The limited efficacy of pharmacological interventions has underscored the growing importance of lifestyle-related factors—particularly dietary habits—in the maintenance of cognitive health. The Mediterranean diet, characterized by its richness in healthy fats, antioxidants, and anti-inflammatory components, has been proposed as a promising nutritional model in this context. However, its cognitive benefits may not manifest uniformly across different populations. As a Mediterranean country, Türkiye exhibits historical and cultural proximity to this dietary pattern, thereby rendering research on its potential effects within Turkish populations particularly relevant. Accordingly, the present study aimed to examine the impact of Mediterranean-style dietary adherence on cognitive performance in a young Turkish cohort.
A total of 184 healthy, right-handed participants aged 20 to 25 years with comparable demographic characteristics were enrolled in the study. Mediterranean diet adherence was assessed using the Mediterranean Diet Adherence Scale. Cognitive and psychomotor functions were evaluated via a battery of computerized tests, including the Finger Tapping Test(FTT), Basic Visual Reaction Time Test(B-VRT), Complex Reaction Time Test(C-VRT), Simple Recognition VRT(SR-VRT), and Complex Recognition VRT(CR-VRT).
No significant differences were observed in response times across FTT and VRT assessments (p > 0.05). However, participants with higher adherence to the Mediterranean diet exhibited significantly greater accuracy on SR-VRT and CR-VRT tests (p < 0.05), while the number of total and repeated errors was significantly elevated among those with lower adherence(p < 0.05).
Interpreted within the theoretical framework of the Speed-Accuracy Trade-off, these findings suggest that adherence to a Mediterranean diet enhances decision-making precision without compromising response speed. Thus, early adoption of Mediterranean dietary practices may contribute positively to the optimization and preservation of cognitive processes—particularly attention, recognition, and decision accuracy—among young adults.
Keywords: Turkish youth, Mediterranean diet, Cognitive function,Reaction time, Speed-accuracy trade-off