It’s never too late to eat your way to a healthier mind: Study
New research shows the aptly named MIND diet can help protect the brain from Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia, no matter when it is started. The MIND diet combines the ever-popular Mediterranean diet with the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet,” which is meant to help lower blood pressure.
A newly released study by the University of Hawaii Mānoa and the University of Southern California shows that switching to the MIND diet significantly decreases the chances of developing Alzheimer’s or dementia — even in those middle-aged or older.
Impacts of the MIND diet
The study analyzed data from nearly 93,000 American adults aged 45 to 75, beginning in the 1990s. Based on this data, researchers found those who closely followed the MIND diet had a 9% lower chance of getting dementia than those who didn’t.
While experts already knew about the link between eating a plant-based diet and lower chances of getting dementia, but they didn’t know switching to the diet at any age could still be highly beneficial in that way. The new study found the risk of dementia for those who improved their adherence to the MIND diet over 10 years, even if they didn’t follow the diet closely at first, dropped 25%.
“This suggests that it is never too late to adopt a healthy diet to prevent dementia,” Song-Yi Park, one of the study’s authors, said in a news release.
Alzheimer’s and dementia on the rise
Diagnoses of Alzheimer’s and dementia have been steadily rising in the past decades, and another recent study indicates it’s only getting worse.
The study found the number of Americans diagnosed with dementia every year is expected to double by 2060, jumping from 514,000 per year in 2020 to 1 million. It also estimates that 42% of all people 55 and older will develop the disease.
The Alzheimer’s Association estimates 7.2 million Americans are currently living with Alzheimer’s, which is the most common form of dementia.
How do I follow the MIND diet?
While all plant-based Mediterranean-related diets appear to be beneficial for the brain, the MIND diet was specifically designed to promote brain health. Here’s what it suggests eating:
- 6+ servings of leafy greens per week
- Plus, one serving per day of other vegetables
- 5+ servings of nuts per week
- 3+ servings of whole grains a day
- 5+ servings of fish (not fried) per week
- <5 servings of pastries or sweets a week
It also suggests limiting cheese, red meat and fast-fried foods to less than one serving per week.
Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
