A recent study suggests that people who follow the MIND diet—a combination of the Mediterranean and DASH diets—might have a lower risk of developing cognitive impairment as they age.
Published in the September 18, 2024, issue of Neurology, the study shows an association between the MIND diet and better cognitive health, although it doesn’t prove that the diet directly prevents cognitive decline.
The MIND diet, which stands for “Mediterranean-DASH Diet Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay,” includes a variety of brain-healthy foods. These foods are chosen based on their potential to protect against cognitive decline and dementia.
The diet emphasizes green leafy vegetables like spinach, kale, and collard greens, along with other vegetables. It also recommends whole grains, olive oil, poultry, fish, beans, and nuts. Berries, especially, are prioritized over other fruits, and the diet encourages at least one serving of fish per week.
With the aging population, the number of people affected by dementia is rising rapidly. This has led researchers to focus on finding ways to delay or slow the onset of cognitive problems.
Dr. Russell P. Sawyer, the study’s lead author from the University of Cincinnati in Ohio, highlighted the importance of diet as a potential tool in this effort. He and his team were particularly interested in whether the MIND diet’s effects were consistent across different racial groups.
The study included 14,145 participants with an average age of 64, of whom 70% were white and 30% were Black. These individuals were followed for an average of 10 years.
During the study, participants completed a questionnaire about their diet over the past year. Researchers then assessed how closely the participants’ diets aligned with the MIND diet principles.
To evaluate adherence to the MIND diet, the researchers awarded one point for each of the following dietary habits:
- Three or more daily servings of whole grains
- Six or more weekly servings of green leafy vegetables
- One or more daily servings of other vegetables
- Two or more weekly servings of berries
- One or more weekly servings of fish
- Two or more weekly servings of poultry
- Three weekly servings of beans
- Five daily servings of nuts
- Four or fewer weekly servings of red meat
- One or fewer weekly servings of fast or fried foods
- One or more weekly servings of olive oil
- One or fewer tablespoons of butter or margarine daily
- Five or fewer weekly servings of pastries and sweets
- One glass per day of wine
The total possible score was 12 points. Based on their scores, participants were divided into three groups: low adherence (average score of 5), middle adherence (average score of 7), and high adherence (average score of 9).
Throughout the study, participants’ thinking and memory skills were measured at both the beginning and the end. Cognitive impairment developed in 532 people (12%) in the low diet group, 617 people (11%) in the middle group, and 402 people (10%) in the high group.
After adjusting for factors like age, high blood pressure, and diabetes, the researchers found that people in the high diet group had a 4% reduced risk of cognitive impairment compared to those in the low group.
Interestingly, when the researchers looked at the data by gender, they found that women who closely followed the MIND diet had a 6% lower risk of cognitive impairment, while no significant reduction in risk was observed for men.
The study also found that people who adhered more closely to the MIND diet experienced a slower decline in thinking skills as they aged. This effect was particularly strong in Black participants compared to white participants.
Dr. Sawyer noted that while these findings are promising, more research is needed to explore the varying impacts of the MIND diet among different groups, including men and women, and Black and white people.
He emphasized the exciting possibility that simple dietary changes could potentially help reduce or delay the risk of cognitive issues.
One limitation of the study is that it only included older Black and white individuals, so the results may not be generalizable to other populations.
Despite this, the study adds to the growing body of evidence that diet plays a crucial role in maintaining cognitive health as we age. By making informed food choices, people may be able to protect their brains and improve their chances of staying mentally sharp in their later years.
If you care about brain health, please read studies about how the Mediterranean diet could protect your brain health, and blueberry supplements may prevent cognitive decline.
For more information about brain health, please see recent studies about antioxidants that could help reduce dementia risk, and Coconut oil could help improve cognitive function in Alzheimer’s.
The research findings can be found in Neurology.
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