New research shows that adhering to a Mediterranean diet, which is rich in fish, grains, nuts, fruits, and vegetables as well as small to moderate amounts of alcohol, may lower the risk of having a stroke and developing dementia(痴呆). Researchers examined the diets of 712 people over the age of 65 and scanned their brains using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology. They found that people who most closely followed a Mediterranean diet were 36 percent less likely to have areas of brain damage, known as infarcts(梗塞), than those whose eating habits deviated most from the diet.