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MIND Diet Greatly Reduces Development of Alzheimer’s Disease: Study Shows

October 15, 2021

The results of a study carried out over 2 decades have shown that the MIND Diet leads to better cognitive performance in older adults
The study collected data from 569 participants who had no recorded history of cognitive dysfunction, dementia, or Alzheimer’s disease.
These findings cement the idea that changing your diet can either positively or negatively impact cognitive functioning and the risk of dementia.

Let’s face it; aging takes a toll on the mind and on the body. That’s because as you age, some of the tissue in our human brains develop strange clumps of protein that are a strong indicator of the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. These clumps are known as plaques and tangles, and they are a naturally-occurring pathology in the brain that grow and embed themselves between nerve cells. With time, these clumps affect our thinking and problem-solving skills. Now the question is, how can you protect your brain from getting these abnormal clumps? A research team from the Rush University Medical Center has finally figured it out. In a rigorous study carried out on aging participants, the researchers have discovered that older adults can benefit tremendously from what they call the MIND diet. According to the study, even aging adults that have already started developing these clumps known as plaques and tangles might find reprieve from the devastating effects of Alzheimer’s disease through the MIND diet. The MIND diet was first established by the late Martha Clare Morris—A Rush nutritional epidemiologist—who borrowed different features of the Mediterranean and DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet to lay its foundations. Initial studies on the MIND diet have found that it may greatly minimize a person’s chances of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Now, this new study from Rush has shown that participants who adhere to the MIND diet moderately even in their later years did not exhibit any cognitive problems. The results of this study were published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease. According to the lead author of the paper—Klodian Dhana (MD, Ph.D. assistant professor in the Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine in the Department of Internal Medicine at Rush Medical College) “Some people have enough plaques and tangles in their brains to have a postmortem diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease, but they do not develop clinical dementia in their lifetime.” Dhana continued to say: Some have the ability to maintain cognitive function despite the accumulation of these pathologies in the brain, and our study suggests that the MIND diet is associated with better cognitive functions independently of brain pathologies related to Alzheimer’s disease.” The study, which was kick started in 1997, examined the cognitive functions of aging adults from the start of the study until death. These aging adults were participants of the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center’s ongoing Memory and Aging Project. The study comprised mostly of the elderly living in the greater Chicago area. Most of the participants were of Caucasian descent without any recorded issues of dementia. All of them consented to undergoing clinical evaluations during the study and having an autopsy on their brains after death. There were 569 participants in total, who were required to complete annual evaluations and a series of cognitive tests to see if they had developed any thinking problems and issues with their memory. In January of 2004, the remaining participants were provided with annual food frequency questionnaires on how they ate 144 food items the previous year. Using the answers they received from the questionnaires, the researchers awarded each participant with a MIND diet score based on how often they ate certain foods. The MIND diet comprises 15 dietary components; 10 of which are healthy food groups, and five are unhealthy food groups comprising of sweets and pastries, red meat, fried food, cheese, and butter, and stick margarine. To receive the benefits of the MIND diet, a participant would need to consume at least three servings of green leafy vegetables or whole grains every day accompanied by a glass of wine. Their diet would also need to comprise of beans, nuts, berries, or poultry at least twice a week. Fish would also have to be on their plate at least once a week. A person would also be required to minimize their intake of unhealthy foods as follows; reduce butter to about 1 and a half teaspoons a day, eat smaller portions of pastries and sweets, and lastly, minimize the consumption of whole fat cheese and fast food. The researchers then calculated the MIND diet score of each participant over the entire period of the study. An average MIND diet score for all the participants was then calculated during the entire study to minimize errors. “We found that a higher MIND diet score was associated with better memory and thinking skills independently of Alzheimer’s disease pathology and other common age-related brain pathologies. The diet seemed to have a protective capacity and may contribute to cognitive resilience in the elderly.” Dr. Dhana said. From the results, it’s clear that diet changes can either positively or negatively impact cognitive functioning and the risk of dementia. By implementing simple diet and lifestyle changes, a person can significantly slow down the decline of cognitive functioning with age, and improve brain health.

References: https://neurosciencenews.com/mind-diet-cognition-19337/amp/

MIND Diet Greatly Reduces Development of Alzheimer’s Disease: Study Shows

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