A recent study presented at the American Society for Nutrition annual meeting reveals that the MIND diet can significantly reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia, even when adopted in middle age or later.

The research, conducted by scientists at the University of Hawaii at Mānoa and the University of Southern California, indicates that individuals who consistently consume a diet rich in green leafy vegetables, olive oil, whole grains, and berries are less likely to experience cognitive decline. The MIND diet, a hybrid of the Mediterranean diet and the DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension), appears to offer superior protection against dementia compared to other healthy eating plans.

According to Song-Yi Park, an associate professor at the University of Hawaii at Mānoa and the study’s lead author, these findings suggest that it is beneficial to adopt a healthy diet at any age. “It shows that sticking to a healthy diet, as well as improving the health of the person’s diet over time, is very important for older adults who want to prevent dementia,” said Park.

While other Mediterranean-style diets are beneficial for overall brain health, the MIND diet is specifically tailored to promote cognitive function. A key distinction is its emphasis on berries.

“One important difference is that MIND includes berries, which have been linked to brain health,” Park said.

The MIND diet, short for mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay, assigns scores to various foods based on their protective qualities and consumption frequency. For instance, consuming two or more servings of berries (particularly strawberries and blueberries) per week earns a score of 1, while one serving earns 0.5, and no servings earn 0.

An individual’s overall diet score is calculated by summing the scores of all the individual foods, with higher scores indicating a more brain-healthy diet.

To investigate the impact of diet on dementia risk, Park and her team analyzed data from nearly 93,000 U.S. adults who participated in The Multiethnic Cohort study.

Launched in the early 1990s as a collaborative effort between the University of Hawaii Cancer Center and the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Multiethnic Cohort enrolled over 215,000 participants aged 45 to 75 from diverse ethnic and racial backgrounds, including Japanese Americans, Native Hawaiians, Black Americans, Latinos, and whites.

Upon analyzing the data, researchers discovered that over 21,000 participants had developed Alzheimer’s disease or a related dementia.

The study revealed that participants with higher MIND diet adherence scores at the beginning of the study had a 9% lower risk of developing dementia.

The degree of risk reduction varied among racial groups, with Black, Latino, and white participants experiencing a more significant reduction of 13%.

Furthermore, participants who improved their adherence to the MIND diet over a 10-year period exhibited a 25% lower risk of dementia compared to those whose adherence declined. This trend was consistent across all age and racial groups.

How to Follow the MIND Diet

based on a 2015 study, here are some recommendations for achieving an optimal MIND diet score:

• Leafy green vegetables (kale, spinach, broccoli, bok choy, mustard greens): six or more servings per week
• Other vegetables: one serving per day
• Nuts (almonds, walnuts, pistachios): five or more servings per week
• Cheese: less than one serving per week
• Whole grains: three or more servings per day
• Fish (not fried): one or more servings per week
• red meat: less than one serving per week
• Fast fried foods: less than one serving per week
• Pastries and sweets: less than five servings per week

Park noted that, as with all observational studies, this research demonstrates an association but does not establish a causal link between the diet and dementia prevention.

Dr. Walter Willett, a professor of epidemiology and nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, described the study as high-quality in an email.

“It adds to the evidence that a Mediterranean-type diet has critically important benefits for reducing the risk of dementia,” said Willett, who wasn’t involved in the research. “The differences between groups defined by race/ethnicity may well be due to random variation, so at this time its reasonable to assume that this healthy dietary pattern has benefits for all groups.”

Willett also suggested consuming a variety of leafy green vegetables rather than relying on a single type.

“In particular, spinach is good in many ways, but has high oxalate content and high intake of spinach can cause kidney stones,” he said.

Dr. Yian Gu, an associate professor of neurological sciences at the columbia University Irving Medical Center, noted that the MIND diet aligns with the principles of the Mediterranean and DASH diets. “Each of those diets has unique characteristics,” she said.

The Mediterranean diet emphasizes daily servings of fruits and vegetables, along with whole grains, legumes, olive oil, seafood, and nuts and seeds.

DASH,or Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension,focuses on preventing hypertension by emphasizing low salt intake,which is not a primary component of the Mediterranean diet.

Gu added that the MIND diet is easy to follow, encouraging individuals to choose their preferred green leafy vegetables while increasing the diversity of their vegetable intake.

Gu also noted that Mediterranean-type diets offer the added benefit of helping prevent other chronic diseases, such as heart disease and cancer.