New Research Shows Dementia Rates Are Lower in People Following This Specific Diet
New studies link the MIND diet's brain-boosting foods to a reduced risk of Alzheimer's and dementia.
Emerging evidence suggests that some foods may provide more robust support for the brain than others. At this year’s annual meeting of the American Society for Nutrition in Orlando, Florida, new research highlighted the MIND diet as especially beneficial for cognitive health. Individuals who adhered to the MIND eating plan were found to be significantly less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia, according to the findings presented.
The MIND diet — an acronym for Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay — is a unique hybrid of both the well-known Mediterranean diet and the DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension). While the Mediterranean diet is lauded for encouraging heart-healthy habits, and DASH focuses on lowering blood pressure, the MIND diet specifically hones in on brain-healthy foods such as leafy green vegetables, berries, nuts, and olive oil.
Nutrition experts emphasize the distinctiveness of the MIND diet, noting that it is the first eating plan focused explicitly on supporting cognitive function. The plant-forward diet highlights ten food groups, placing particular emphasis on berries, leafy greens, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, beans, legumes, seafood, poultry, and olive oil. These foods are rich in nutrients like flavonoids, carotenoids, B vitamins, omega-3 fatty acids, choline, and key minerals such as magnesium, potassium, and calcium — all associated with brain health.
The diet also places restrictions on certain items, recommending limited consumption of pastries, sugary foods, red meat, cheese, fried foods, fast food, and high amounts of butter or margarine. This targeted approach aims to minimize dietary factors that may contribute to neurodegenerative risk.
The research team drew on data from almost 93,000 U.S. adults who shared their dietary habits in the 1990s as participants in the Multiethnic Cohort Study. At enrollment, study subjects ranged from 45 to 75 years of age. Over the course of several decades, researchers tracked which participants developed Alzheimer’s or related dementias, comparing outcomes among those who followed the MIND diet versus other healthy eating plans.
Notably, the MIND diet was shown to outperform other healthy diets in reducing dementia risk. Those who followed the eating plan exhibited an overall 9% decrease in dementia risk, while certain demographic groups—including African American, Latino, and White participants—enjoyed a 13% lower risk. However, similar risk reduction was not observed among Asian-American and native Hawaiian participants.
Duration of adherence appeared crucial: individuals maintaining the MIND diet over ten years reduced their dementia risk by up to 25% compared to those with little or no adherence. Researchers point out that the protective effects extend across age groups, with improvements seen even when healthier habits were adopted later in life.
According to the study’s lead author, these findings strongly suggest that adopting healthy dietary patterns in mid- to late-life—and sustaining or improving them—may help prevent Alzheimer’s and related dementias. “It is never too late to adopt a healthy diet to prevent dementia,” the lead researcher emphasized in the study’s summary remarks.
