Researchers are getting closer to identifying how certain diets can reduce the risk for developing dementia — even in later adulthood.
“Our study findings confirm that healthy dietary patterns in mid- to late-life and their improvement over time may prevent Alzheimer’s and related dementias,” says lead study author Song-Yi Park, PhD, an associate professor at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
The study also delved into racial and ethnic variations in cognitive improvements related to the MIND diet. “We wanted to investigate the preventive association between dementia and the MIND diet in a diverse population, as previous studies were mostly conducted in less diverse populations,” Dr. Park explains.
What Is the MIND Diet?
MIND stands for “Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay.” The diet is a combination of the Mediterranean diet and the blood pressure improvement DASH diet (dietary approaches to stop hypertension).
Closely Following the MIND Diet Tied to Lower Alzheimer’s Risk
Participants were between 45 and 75 years old when the study began. Researchers scored subjects’ diets for how closely they followed the MIND plan, based on food questionnaires given at the starting point and a 10-year follow-up. More than 21,000 subjects were diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or related dementias in that time period.
According to the data, the more firmly a person stuck to the MIND diet, the lower their dementia risk, with strict adherence to the MIND eating pattern at the beginning of the study linked to a 9 percent lower risk of developing dementia, compared with less-strict adherence. What’s more, this link was more significant among Latino, white, and African American participants, who had a roughly 13 percent lower risk, though this relationship was not as apparent in Asian American and Native Hawaiian groups.
It’s Never Too Late to Eat Better to Protect Your Brain
The study also highlighted other potential trends that may hold clues to the impact of the MIND diet on brain and cognitive health.
Overall, participants who improved their adherence to the MIND diet over time showed the strongest pattern of dementia risk reduction — a key finding that suggests “it is never too late to adopt a healthy diet to prevent dementia,” Park says.
Specifically, participants who improved their adherence to the MIND diet over the course of a decade had a 25 percent lower risk of developing dementia compared with those whose adherence to the eating pattern declined in that time period. Researchers observed this trend across a wide range of participants, including people who didn’t stick to the diet closely at first, both younger and older age groups, and individuals of all ethnic backgrounds except for Native Hawaiian.
“This shows that maintaining a healthy diet and improving diet quality are still important, even for older adults, to prevent dementia,” adds Park.
More Research Is Needed, But Preliminary Findings Remain Promising
Experts agree that recent research results on the MIND diet’s cognitive benefits are promising. But additional evidence is still required to confirm the potential connections.
For example, Park cautions that her study is observational, meaning that it relies on a large database of self-reported dietary data, which may contain some inaccuracies.
“The Mediterranean Diet and the DASH diet are always ranking among the best for overall health, and the MIND diet essentially combines these two already amazing diets,” says Courtney Pelitera, RD, a registered dietitian based in Raleigh, North Carolina. “Anyone looking to improve their health would be appropriate for this diet, including those aiming to reduce cholesterol, blood pressure, and risk of cardiovascular disease.”
Katherine Brooking, RD, a New York City–based registered dietitian, says that the MIND diet can be straightforward to incorporate.
“I recommend starting with small changes and simple swaps, as these are often the easiest to adopt and keep. Then you can build from there,” says Brooking. “This could include swapping butter for olive oil, adding nuts like pecans, walnuts, and pistachios to soups, salads, and other dishes, or sprinkling berries on top of yogurt or cereal.”
She also says you don’t have to strive for a perfect MIND diet score to reap benefits. “Even some adherence is likely better than none at all,” says Brooking.
