Dementia is the loss of cognitive functioning, like thinking, remembering, and reasoning, at levels that interfere with a person’s daily life and activities. Dementia affects the health and well-being of millions of older adults; with baby boomers reaching their senior years, that number is expected to grow substantially.
Health researchers are on the lookout for ways to prevent or slow the development of dementia among older adults. One solution they are investigating is the MIND diet.
The MIND (Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay) diet focuses on foods believed to promote brain health including green leafy vegetables, berries, nuts, whole grains, and fish. It encourages limited consumption of saturated fats and added sugars found in foods like red meat, butter, cheese, and pastries.
Systematic reviews have found that the MIND diet improves cognitive performance among older adults. Now, a new, longitudinal study provides more evidence of the MIND diet’s benefits, including how the diet works for diverse groups.
The study, published in the journal Alzheimer’s and Dementia, followed more than 5,200 older adults living in Chicago neighborhoods for eight years.
Researchers evaluated participants’ diets using a questionnaire that measured their intake of 144 different foods. They measured cognitive function with tests to assess memory, attention, and processing speed. Then, they correlated the two over time, accounting for variables such as age, education, socioeconomic status, physical activity, and vascular health.
The researchers confirmed that the MIND diet is associated with less cognitive decline across the board. Even adding one recommended food, or eliminating an unhealthy food, was linked to reductions in cognitive decline.
The study also uncovered evidence that the diet’s effectiveness varied across racial groups. About 60% of participants were Black. White participants who adhered to the diet at a moderate level showed cognitive benefits. Black participants needed a higher level of adherence for similar cognitive effects. Other factors like physical activity levels, blood pressure, and diabetes were more critical in delaying cognitive decline for Black participants compared to white participants. According to the researchers, this suggests that there are broader social, environmental, and biological factors at play. Overall, the MIND diet reduced cognitive decline for everyone.
So how, exactly, does one follow the MIND diet? The guidelines are fairly simple. First, include the following in your diet:
- Three or more servings a day of whole grains
- One or more servings a day of vegetables (other than green leafy)
- Six or more servings a week of green leafy vegetables
- Five or more servings a week of nuts
- Four or more meals a week of beans
- Two or more servings a week of berries
- Two or more meals a week of poultry
- One or more meals a week of fish
- For added fat, use mainly olive oil
And for less healthy items, limit to:
- Less than five servings a week of pastries and sweets
- Less than four servings a week of red meat, which includes beef, pork, and lamb
- Less than one serving a week of cheese and fried foods
- Less than one tablespoon a day of butter or stick margarine
The take-home message: Consuming a healthy diet for brain-boosting foods and avoiding unhealthy foods via the MIND diet is a proven way to prevent and slow cognitive decline.
