"Higher adherence to the Mediterranean diet was associated with significantly lower risk of developing Alzheimer's disease," the authors report. For each additional point to Mediterranean diet scores (indicating increased adherence to the diet), Alzheimer's risk dropped by 9 to 10 percent. Compared with the subjects in the least adherent group that adhered to a Mediterranean diet the least, subjects in the middle tertile had 15 to 21 percent lower risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, and those in the highest tertile had a 39 to 40 percent lower risk, suggesting a significant dose response effect. The association remained significant even after adjusting for potential confounders such as age, gender, ethnicity, education, caloric intake, BMI, smoking and comorbid conditions.