LONDON, March 13 (Xinhua) -- What adults eat in midlife is not associated with later risk of dementia, according to a study released on Wednesday by the University College London (UCL).

Researchers from UCL and INSERM, a public research organization in France entirely dedicated to human health, analyzed data from over 8,000 adults over two decades.

During that time, the adults completed diet questionnaires so that the quality of their diets could be assessed, with a higher consumption of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts and legumes, omega-3 fatty acids and most polyunsaturated fatty acids indicating a healthier diet.

The repeated assessments of diet quality during midlife, where adults had an average age of 50, did not show any significant association with subsequent risk for dementia, according to the study.

"Further studies are needed to show whether diet plays a role for prevention of dementia in combination with other lifestyles or in sub-groups at increased risk of dementia," said one of the study authors, Dr Severine Sabia, who does research at Inserm and UCL.