Tell me: Do things like this ever happen to you?
You have clarity of purpose. You know what you need. You walk into another room to get it. Then, distraction hits, and you forget entirely what prompted you.
Or else, you search the house for your car keys or your glasses, or your wallet. A good 10 minutes later, you realize they’ve been with you the whole time.
You sit down to write a newsletter about an intriguing study having to do with memory — if only you could remember what it was.
Yes, these are highly personal anecdotes. But like all the best stories, I hope they’re simply the unique expression of universal truths.
Perhaps second only to the fear of death itself, the one thing I’ve heard smart people admit that they fear most is the idea of losing their memory.
And that’s why I’ve latched on with gusto to a recent study out of Harvard University, among other institutions, that suggests a simple, straightforward way to improve cognitive health.
Mediterranean-style diets
Writing in the journal Nature Medicine, researchers from Mass General Brigham, the Broad Institute of MIT, and yes, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, say that making a simple dietary change can “influence key metabolic pathways that protect memory and cognitive function.”
The strategy: Make a conscious change to switch to a Mediterranean-style diet.
Think sun-drenched Greek islands and Tuscan villages — places like Crete, Santorini, the Amalfi Coast, and Sardinia, where this isn’t a “diet plan” at all, but simply how people have eaten for generations. Where a taverna lunch means grilled fish with olive oil, fresh tomatoes, crusty bread, and maybe a glass of local wine. Where centenarians are common, and dementia remarkably rare.
More on the nose, according to a summary:
“People following a more Mediterranean-style diet had a lower risk of developing dementia and showed slower cognitive decline.”
They’re not the first to tout the benefits of this diet; heck, I’ve written about other studies here before.
But this team analyzed data from two studies, including a total of 5,705 men and women from two longitudinal studies: the Nurses’ Health Study, followed by the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study.
And, by studying three factors: “long-term dietary patterns,” “participant’s inherited risk for Alzheimer’s disease,” and the incidence of “new cases of dementia,” they were able to make some striking conclusions.
‘Help reduce the risk’
According to the study’s first author, Yuxi Liu, PhD, a research fellow in the Department of Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a founding member of the Mass General Brigham healthcare system, and a postdoctoral fellow at the Harvard Chan School and Broad:
“These findings suggest that dietary strategies, specifically the Mediterranean diet, could help reduce the risk of cognitive decline and stave off dementia by broadly influencing key metabolic pathways.”
Before I forget (ironic, right?) we should ensure that we’ve established what a Mediterranean-style diet actually entails:
Olive oil as the primary fat source, as opposed to higher saturated fats sometimes seen in Western diets. Whole grains — lots of them — plus vegetables and fruits, probably four servings per day. Lean proteins like fish, chicken, turkey, and eggs. Very limited red meat intake. And lots of fiber from a variety of plant sources.
My favorite kind of study
Honestly, this makes it fall into the category of “frankly quite pleasurable things I might do anyway, even without the study.”
Which therefore makes it my favorite kind of study.
Short version? Do something I’d normally do almost without prompting, and get an unexpected benefit? I’m on board with that.
Barely even need a reminder.
7 other things worth knowing
Former FBI Director James Comey pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to criminal charges in a case his lawyer described as a vindictive prosecution directed by President Donald Trump. Trump has also targeted New York state Attorney General Letitia James, former National Security Adviser John Bolton, Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, and, as of Wednesday, the Democratic governor of Illinois and Democratic mayor of Chicago. (Reuters)
The most destructive inferno in Los Angeles history, which charred a devastating path through Pacific Palisades and Malibu in early January and killed 12 people, was intentionally set by an an Uber driver, prosecutors alleged Wednesday. Authorities announced the arrest of Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29. If convicted he faces between five and 20 years in federal prison. (LA Times)
The Unofficial Jobs Numbers Are In and It’s Rough Out There: In a federal data blackout, Wall Street numbers and surveys are filling the void. (WSJ)
A Florida state lawmaker has fielded a bill that would order institutions of higher education in the state to rename roads after the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk. The bill has real teeth since it stipulates that state funds should be withheld from schools that fail to comply. (Fox News)
Denmark plans to ban social media for children under 15, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said Tuesday: “We have said yes to mobile phones in our children’s lives in the best sense. So they can call home and communicate with their friends ... But the reality is that we have let a monster loose..” (CNN)
The NCAA moved a step closer Wednesday to allowing athletes and athletic department staff to bet on professional sports. If approved by all three divisions, it would go into effect Nov. 1. The proposal doesn’t change the NCAA rule which forbids athletes from betting on college sports. (AP)
A veteran food critic who took extreme measures to preserve his anonymity is finally ripping off the mask as he steps down from his role. Tom Sietsema sported everything from fat suits to fake teeth in a bid to keep his identity top secret. Since 2000, penned more than 1,200 full restaurant reviews and dined at roughly 10 establishments per week. After 25 years he has handed in his notice. (Daily Mail)
Thanks for reading. Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash. I wrote about some of this before at Inc.com. See you in the comments.
1. Crap indictment probably won’t make it far. As of this afternoon, Hannibal now has indicted Tish James for real estate fraud that they were told last week that there was no “There” there.
2. That Palisades fire was set by a nutty Floridian. Hope he gets life.
3. Try as he might to hide his disastrous numbers from everyone, trump has no control over the many institutions that make economic and employment numbers their business. Silly man.
4. That bill in FL is another piece of legislative insanity. I cannot, for the life of me, understand how people live in DeSantis’ state. It used to be nice but that was long ago.
5. Smart Denmark. I wish them luck.
6. NCAA decision is insane but why do I care? I guess I’m just too dumb to see where athletes and athletic department staff to bet on professional sports. These people need to fall into gambling debt?
I believe I've mentioned before since I became a Weight Watcher leader, after losing 50+ lbs, & keeping it off for over 25 yrs now, I've followed the Meditteranean diet. Good stuff.
& I just finished reading this:
Social Media on the Wane
Thursday, October 9, 2025
Social Media on the Wane
The UK Financial Times paper commissioned a global survey to find out what’s going on with social media use— with “social media” meaning Facebook, TikTok, Twitter/X, Threads, YouTube, and so on. The study finds that social media outlets appear to be losing their grip on the public.
Online denizens from around the world are spending about 10 percent less time surfing social media than in 2022, when social media use crested.
From the article:
In many ways, Meta and OpenAI’s new platforms (AI-generated content is already rife on TikTok and YouTube) are a fitting endpoint for social media’s warped evolution from a place where people swapped updates with friends and family, to one with less and less human-to-human interaction. We have now witnessed the transformation of social media into anti-social media with the progressive disappearance of most people from active participation on the platforms and the steady displacement of real-world interactions by scrolling.
Additional data from GWI trace the shift. The shares of people who report using social platforms to stay in touch with their friends, express themselves or meet new people have fallen by more than a quarter since 2014. Meanwhile, reflexively opening the apps to fill up spare time has risen, reflecting a broader pernicious shift from mindful to mindless browsing.
Read the whole thing.
They argue that online people are beginning to grow aware of being manipulated for clicks and doom-scrolling—and are beginning to resent it. But the kicker comes at the end: North American users were still holding out against the global trend, as addicted to social media as ever.
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I was curious about why the difference w/ the US, so used AI:
I used AI to ask the possibility of why:
Greater regulation and enforcement outside the US
The European Union's Digital Services Act (DSA): This law, which tech companies must comply with, has led to significant changes in online platforms within the EU. As a result, companies are forbidden from targeting minors with personalized advertising and can face fines of up to 6% of their worldwide revenues for violations.
China's strict laws: China has implemented cybersecurity and minor protection laws that restrict online content for children and impose daily time limits on internet usage.
Active government intervention: Other countries, like Sweden, have advised against screen time for young children and set limits for older youth, based on research into negative effects on health and sleep. France, Finland, and England have also implemented restrictions in schools, with some students reporting better focus as a result.