Effects of a Mediterranean Diet-Based Program on Cognitive Decline: Non-Blinded Non-Randomized Controlled Trial of the CESPORT Program.

Overview

1. Sociology Area, Department of Geography, History and Humanities, University of Almería, 04120 Almería, Spain
2. Anthropology Area, Department of Geography, History and Humanities, University of Almería, 04120 Almería, Spain
3. Department of Engineering, University of Almería, CIAMBITAL Research Center, Agrifood Campus of International Excellence (CeiA3), 04120 Almería, Spain; (J.A.S.); (M.D.-P.)

Abstract

Background: Age-related cognitive deccline is a significant health issue in Spain, especially among adults over 60 years of age. Addressing this involves establishing intervention guidelines and identifying early diagnostic biomarkers. Objective: To evaluate changes in urine of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor, concentration and cognitive performance after the implementation of the multicomponent CESPORT program (incorporating a Mediterranean Diet, nutritional education, and continuous support). Methods: This controlled trial included 76 older adults, divided into an experimental group (n = 58; mean age 66.9 years; 75.9% female) that participated in the CESPORT program, and a control group (n = 18; mean age 68.8 years; 72.2% female). Cognitive performance was assessed using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the Cognifit® battery. Urinary BDNF concentrations were quantified via ELISA. Results: After adjusting for baseline scores via ANCOVA, the experimental group demonstrated significantly higher post-intervention outcomes compared to the control group (p < 0.001). Substantial improvements with medium-to-large effect sizes were observed in global cognition, reasoning, attention, coordination and perception. Furthermore, urinary BDNF levels were significantly elevated in the experimental group. Positive correlations were found between Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor concentrations and cognitive performance in multiple domains (p < 0.05), particularly regarding global status and reasoning. Conclusions: The multicomponent CESPORT intervention demonstrates a potential protective effect against age-related cognitive decline. Furthermore, urinary BDNF emerges as a promising, non-invasive early biomarker for cognitive health. Further research is warranted to validate these findings.

Reproduced under the paper's license (CC BY), from the paper cited above.

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Data

Datasets cited

• zenodo:17256268, at Zenodo; found in “Data Availability Statement”

Data Availability Statement

The datasets generated and analyzed during the current study are available in the Zenodo repository, at the following DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17256268.

Reproduced under the paper's license (CC BY), from the paper cited above.

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Version 1, 30 September 2026: the first record

Recorded: type, language, journal, volume, issue, pages, dates, 5 authors, 6 keywords, 12 MeSH terms, 1 funder, 29 references.

Cite

This paper

Checa Olmos, J. C., Monserrat Hernández, M., Arjona Garrido, Á., Salinas, J. A., & Díaz-Pérez, M. (2026). Effects of a Mediterranean Diet-Based Program on Cognitive Decline: Non-Blinded Non-Randomized Controlled Trial of the CESPORT Program. Nutrients, 18(7), 1073. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu18071073

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