The award-winning Mediterranean diet helps prevent dementia, especially in people at highest genetic risk, according to a new study.

A study published in the journal Nature on Monday found a Mediterranean diet with plant-based foods and healthy fats lowered the risk of dementia by at least 35 percent in people with two copies of the APOE4 gene. The APOE4 gene is a major risk factor for Alzheimer’s, the most common disease that causes dementia.

Strong evidence suggests that following the diet, cutting calories and exercising lowers the chances of developing diabetes for those with metabolic risk factors.