A US study has found closely following a MIND diet was associated with reduced risk of cognitive impairment and slower rates of decline with ageing.
The effects on cognitive ageing were more prominent in women, with adherence to the diet having no association with risk of cognitive impairment, and lesser associations with rate of cognitive decline in men.
The study, published in Neurology, also found the association between greater diet adherence and slower cognitive decline held true for black and white participants, but was more apparent for black participants.
The research ‘does not prove a definitive link, but finds a consistent correspondence between a person’s diet and a slower rate of cognitive loss over time,’ noted medicalnewstoday.com. While other studies track the development of dementia, this study ‘investigated impairment and decline, two particularly universal phenomena that occur with time’.
The MIND diet is a modified combination of the Mediterranean and DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diets: it was created by researchers at Chicago’s Rush University in 2015, based on findings that certain foods can enhance brain health and lower the risk of cognitive decline, especially Alzheimer’s disease.
A traditional Mediterranean diet primarily consists of grains, legumes, vegetables, fruit, nuts and fish; people can also include small amounts of meat, eggs, dairy and alcohol. The DASH diet emphasises fruit, vegetables and low-fat dairy products; a person can also eat whole grains, poultry, fish and nuts but should limit intake of saturated fats, red meat and sugars.
The research analysed data from 14,145 white and black adults who participated in the Food Frequency Questionnaire in the Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study; they had a mean age of 64 (give or take 9 years) and were followed for an average 10 years; 56.7% were female, 70% were white and 30% black.
Dr Scott Haiser, Director of Geriatric Cognitive Health for the Pacific Neuroscience Institute in Santa Monica (not involved in the study) commented: ‘The Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay (MIND) diet has been demonstrated to slow brain ageing by something on the order of 7.5 years and significantly reduce one’s risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.’
US preventive cardiology dietitian Michelle Routhenstein (also not involved in the study) noted the MIND diet promotes berries over consumption of other fruits due to their unique anthocyanin and flavonoid makeup, which adds a rich antioxidant component to your diet, known to help support brain health.
‘Research suggests these particular compounds may enhance cognitive function, improve memory and potentially reduce the risk of cognitive decline as people age.’
Routhenstein illustrated one day on a MIND diet might look like having ‘blueberry-pecan oatmeal for breakfast, a salad with cherry tomatoes, chickpeas, and olive oil dressing for lunch, baked salmon with quinoa and mixed vegetables for dinner, and an apple paired with a handful of mixed nuts for a snack.’
