This Diet Can Help Lower Your Risk of Alzheimer’s

While many of the medical elements of Alzheimer’s disease remain a mystery for researchers, it’s increasingly obvious that lifestyle choices heavily influence our risk for this debilitating disease.  

With that in mind, researchers from Rush University Medical Center developed the MIND diet in 2015 to help link dietary components to brain health with the goal of preventing cognitive decline. MIND is an acronym for Mediterranean DASH Diet Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay. It blends the Mediterranean and DASH diets - two very healthy eating styles that help lower the risk for coronary artery disease, stroke and heart attacks.

Rush researchers found that the MIND diet lowered the risk of Alzheimer's among adults who rigorously followed it by as much as 53 percent and for those who moderately followed it by nearly 35 percent, according to a paper published online in the journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association.  

A decade later, new research published this year in the journal Nature Medicine is reinforcing the Rush University findings.

What’s in the MIND Diet

The diet encourages eating vegetables (particularly green leafy vegetables), nuts, berries, beans, whole grains, olive oil, fish and poultry regularly, while limiting red meat, butter/margarine, cheese, sweets and fried and fast foods.  

Researchers believe the combination of these dietary components provides a stronger, more consistent reduction in dementia risk than other healthy diets. Foods included in the diet are rich in vitamin E, folate, omega-3 fatty acids, carotenoids and flavanols - nutrients that have been shown to slow cognitive decline, while light on saturated and hydrogenated fats, which tend to accelerate it.

Am I Too Old to Begin Following the MIND Diet?  

Eating healthy throughout your life is associated with maintaining better brain function. But it’s never too late to begin the MIND diet.  

The participants in the MIND study were aged between 58 and 98. Middle-aged adults who eat a healthy diet have a higher likelihood of healthy aging, according to a study published in Nature Medicine. And researchers from the University of Hawaii at Mānoa (UH) and University of Southern California (USC) conducted their own MIND diet study and found that it’s important for older adults to adopt and adhere to the MIND diet to help prevent dementia, according to a report presented at the annual meeting of the American Society for Nutrition.  

UH and USC researchers reviewed data from nearly 93,000 people who submitted dietary information to UH’s The Multiethnic Cohort, a large epidemiological study that began in the early 1990s. It follows more than 215,000 Hawaiian and Los Angelino residents aged 45 to 75 that are of Caucasian, Japanese American, Native Hawaiian, African American and Latino ethnicities. Data from 21,000 participants was removed before the analysis because they developed Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia. The analysis showed participants with:  

Better adherence to the MIND diet at the beginning of the study had a nine percent lower risk for developing dementia.  

African American, Latino or Caucasian ethnic backgrounds had the most significant risk reduction, which was 13 percent.  

Improved adherence to the MIND diet over the 10-years since the MIND diet was created had a 25 percent lower risk of dementia compared to participants whose adherence declined over the years.  

How Does the MIND Work?  

Following a Mediterranean eating style can help you lower your risk for heart disease and some cancers. And the DASH diet is the go-to lifestyle remedy for high blood pressure. But neither is as effective for brain health as the MIND diet. Why?   
 
Rush University researchers claim the MIND diet is easier to follow than other healthy diets. They also credit the daily consumption of foods such as fish, nuts, berries, leafy greens and olive oil with brain boosting properties.    

Berries, especially strawberries and blueberries, are important for brain health. Eating strawberries and blueberries on a regular basis helps improve memory. Blueberries are considered potent because they increase blood flow to areas of the brain responsible for memory and attention, according to a study published in Neural Regeneration Research.    

Brain Health Tips  

Following the MIND diet is just one component of a brain healthy lifestyle. Make sure you also:  

Exercise. Regular physical activity helps improve blood flow to the brain, lower inflammation, control cortisol and increase brain volume. Be sure to talk to you doctor before beginning or changing your workout routine.  

Stay socially connected. Relationships and social activities help you stay engaged with the world and ease loneliness, a risk of dementia.  

Manage depression and anxiety. Both conditions raise the risk of dementia.  

Become a life-long learner. Learning new information helps form new neural pathways in the brain.  

Maintain your hearing. Hearing loss accounts for eight percent of dementia cases. If necessary, a hearing aid may be a helpful tool to protect your brain health.    

Finally, work with your MDVIP-affiliated physician. They offer the MDVIP Wellness Program, which screens for components of a brain-healthy lifestyle such as exercise, nutrition, sleep, substance use, emotional health (including stress), blood pressure and social connections. Doctors use results from these screenings to develop a personalized wellness program for you that can focus on brain health. Doctors also have more time to get to know you and your lifestyle, which may help them recognize early signs of cognitive decline.  

If you’re curious about your brain health, take MDVIP’s brain health quiz and peruse our brain health center. Share the results with your primary care physician. If they’re concerned, they may discuss the new Alzheimer’s test with you.  

If you’re looking for a primary care physician, consider partnering with an MDVIP-affiliated physician. Find an MDVIP affiliate near you »