- Closely following a MIND diet was associated with a reduced risk of cognitive impairment and slower rates of decline with aging in a new study.
- The observed effects on cognitive aging were more prominent in women in the study, with adherence to the diet having no association with the risk of cognitive impairment, and lesser associations with the rate of cognitive decline in men.
- The study 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 right diet may be a way to slow one’s rate of cognitive impairment or decline while growing older, according to a new study published in Neurology. 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.
The study found an association between a closer adherence to the MIND diet and a decreased risk of cognitive impairment and slower rates of cognitive decline in women.
The researchers detected no such association between the MIND diet adherence and the risk of cognitive impairment in men. However, it was associated with a slower rate of cognitive decline in men, though the link was still stronger in women.
The MIND diet is a modified combination of the Mediterranean and DASH diets.
While other studies track the development of dementia, the authors of this study investigated impairment and decline, two particularly universal phenomena that occur with time. They were also interested in seeing if there were differences between White and Black Americans in this process.
Greater adherence to the MIND diet correlated to a decreased risk of cognitive impairment and slowed decline for both white and Black participants. However, it more strongly predicted cognitive decline in Black participants.
The research encompassed 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.
Individuals had a mean age of 64, give or take 9 years, and were followed for an average of 10 years. Of the participants, 56.7% were female, 70% were white, and 30% were Black.
Scott Kaiser, MD, who was not part of the study, is a board-certified geriatrician and Director of Geriatric Cognitive Health for the Pacific Neuroscience Institute in Santa Monica, CA.
Commenting on the study results for Medical News Today, he noted that “the Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay (MIND) diet has been demonstrated to slow brain aging by something on the order of
Michelle Routhenstein, MS, RD, CDCES, preventive cardiology dietitian at EntirelyNourished.com, also not involved in the study, explained that “the MIND diet was created by researchers at Rush University Medical Center in 2015, based on findings that certain foods can enhance brain health and lower the risk of cognitive decline, especially Alzheimer’s disease.”
Kaiser further added that the MIND diet includes “two key layers of vegetables and fruits at its broad base — the biggest, most fundamental layer being reserved for green, leafy vegetables because they are that important.”
Nuts and whole grains are key elements of the MIND diet as well. It also includes nutrient-dense proteins such as fish and poultry, although the jury, according to Kaiser, is still out on red meats.
“While there is a lot of debate regarding red meat intake among nutritional and lifestyle medicine experts,” he said, “the MIND diet does not call for its elimination altogether.”
Kaiser cited concerns among some that eliminating meat altogether may deprive one of beneficial minerals, such as zinc, or result in an over-reliance on carbohydrates.
Still, Kaiser said, “the MIND diet does suggest limiting red meat intake — including all beef, lamb, and pork — to no more than 3 servings each week.”
Kaiser also pointed out that there are certain types of foods the MIND diet encourages people not to eat.
“The MIND diet, and other brain-healthy diets, encourage the intake of fresh whole foods and the avoidance of highly processed and refined foods,” he said.
Highly processed and refined foods tend to be low in fiber, are digested too quickly, and cause rapid fluctuations in blood sugar levels.
These level changes may result in, Kaiser said, a “broad constellation of physiological consequences,” including inflammation and oxidative stress, which can negatively affect brain health over the long term.
Fast foods, especially fried foods rich in trans fats, are particularly unwelcome in the MIND diet, as they have been linked to a wide range of health conditions.
“Sugars are Enemy Number One,” Kaiser emphasized.
“While no single food can guarantee better brain health,” said Kaiser, “an extensive and growing body of research demonstrates the brain health benefits of certain foods — especially those rich in certain antioxidants and other ‘neuroprotective’ compounds.”
For example, the MIND diet promotes berries over the consumption of other fruits. Routhenstein explained why. It is “due to their unique anthocyanin and flavonoid makeup, which adds a rich antioxidant component to your diet, known to help support brain health,” she told us.
“Research suggests,” said Routhenstein, “that these particular compounds may enhance cognitive function, improve memory, and potentially reduce the risk of cognitive decline as people age.”
Kaiser further noted that:
“These ‘phytonutrients,’ chemicals that plants produce to keep themselves healthy, can actually reduce inflammation in our brains, protect brain cells from injury, support learning and memory, and deliver other obvious benefits for brain health.”
Routhenstein illustrated that 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.”