Background/Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of adherence to the DASH and Mediterranean diets on cognitive performance in adults. Methods: In this study, the Mediterranean Diet Adherence Screener (MEDAS), DASH Diet Quality Scale (DASH-Q), Oktem Verbal Memory Processes Test (Oktem-VMPT), and Trail Making Test (TMT) were administered face-to-face to adult individuals living in Afyonkarahisar, Türkiye, together with a form assessing sociodemographic characteristics and dietary habits. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS v27 software. Results: As participants’ ages increased, DASH scores decreased (p < 0.05). As participants’ BMI and waist/hip width increased, a decrease in DASH and MEDAS scores was observed (p < 0.05). As participants’ ages increased, the IST-A, IST-B, and IST-Total scores increased (p < 0.05), but as their education level increased, the IST-A, IST-B, and IST-Total scores decreased (p < 0.05). As participants’ education level increased, the total recall score on the Oktem-SBST scale tended to increase (p < 0.05). As participants’ DASH scores increased, the “Immediate Memory” and “Spontaneous Recall” sub-components of the Oktem-SBST increased, while the “Learning Mistake Score,” “USB Mistake Score,” and “IST-A,” “IST-B,” and “IST Total” scores decreased (p < 0.05). As participants’ MEDAS scores increased, the sub-components of Oktem-SBST, namely “Criteria Achievement,” “Maximum Learning,” “Spontaneous Recall,” “Recognition,” and “Total Recall,” also increased, while the “Learning Mistake Score” decreased. (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Age, educational status, DASH, and MEDAS scores are associated with cognitive performance. The DASH and MEDAS diets have a positive impact on cognitive performance, highlighting the importance of healthy eating in public health strategies for maintaining cognitive health.
Abasız et al. (Wed,) studied this question.