- As of 2021, about 57 million people around the world were living with dementia, with 60–70% of those cases being Alzheimer’s disease.
- In 2015, researchers at Rush University Medical Center developed the MIND diet. Since then, multiple studies have linked this eating pattern to a reduced risk of dementia.
- A new study says that following the MIND diet may help lower a person’s risk for developing dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease, even if they don’t start following the diet until later in life.
- These benefits were especially seen in participants who identified as African-American, Latino, or white.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), as of 2021 about
Past studies have shown that certain lifestyle changes — such as
In 2015, researchers from Rush University Medical Center developed the MIND diet — a combination of the Mediterranean and DASH diets.
With its emphasis on brain-healthy foods, past studies have suggested that following the MIND diet may decrease a person’s risk for cognitive impairment, more generally, and
Now, a new study presented at NUTRITION 2025, the flagship annual meeting of the American Society for Nutrition, reports that following the MIND diet may help lower a person’s risk for developing dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, even if they don’t start following the diet until later in life.
These benefits were especially seen in participants who identified asAfrican American, Latino, or white.
The study is yet to undergo peer review and appear in a specialised journal.
For this study, researchers analyzed dietary data from almost 93,000 U.S. adults between the ages of 45 to 75, who participated in the Multiethnic Cohort Study, which began in the 1990s.
Participants were from five racial and ethnic groups — African American, Latino, white, Native Hawaiian, and Asian American. Scientists scored each participant’s adherence to MIND diet principles based on a food frequency questionnaire provided at the start of the study and again 10 years later.
“The MIND diet includes 10 brain-Healthy and 5 brain-unHealthy food groups,” Song-Yi Park, PhD, associate professor of the Population Sciences in the Pacific Program at the University of Hawaii Cancer Center and lead author of this study told Medical News Today.
Park explained:
“We calculated the MIND diet score using Morris’ methods in the Multiethnic Cohort Study. We examined several healthy dietary patterns and found more consistent results with the MIND diet compared to other dietary patterns, such as the Mediterranean, DASH, and Healthy Eating Index.”
At the study’s conclusion, Park and her team found that study participants with the highest MIND diet scores at the start of the study had a 9% lower risk of developing dementia.
That reduced risk rate jumped to 13% for participants identifying as white, Latino, or African American.
“Previous studies were mostly conducted in White populations,” Park explained. “Our study confirms the protective association in a more diverse population. We have no clear explanation for the observed racial/ethnic heterogeneity. Differences in dietary patterns and preferences could play a role. Also, the MIND diet may not fully capture the benefits of ethnic diets.”
Scientists also discovered that study participants who improved their adherence to the MIND diet over 10 years — including those who at first did not closely follow this dietary pattern — decreased their dementia risk by 25%, compared to those whose MIND diet compliance declined.
“Our study findings confirm that healthy dietary patterns in mid to late life and their improvement over time may prevent Alzheimer’s and related dementias,” Park said in a press release. “This suggests that it is never too late to adopt a healthy diet to prevent dementia.”
Since the burden of dementia is increasing and the pharmacological treatments are still very limited, Park said reducing modifiable risk factors to prevent the disease is a public Health priority.
“Improving diet quality at older ages is still beneficial for preventing dementia,” she continued. “We plan to explore individual dietary components that can better capture ethnically tailored healthy dietary patterns and optimal intake levels.”
MNT had the opportunity to speak with Clifford Segil, DO, a neurologist in private practice in Santa Monica, CA, and on staff at Providence St. John’s Health Center, about this study.
“I wish I agreed that leafy green vegetables, berries, nuts, and olive oil were proven brain healthy foods as these are definitely healthy for your heart, but less clearly for your brain,” Segil, who was not involved in the research, commented.
He explained that eating Healthy throughout your life can help reduce your risk of diabetes, hyperlipidemia, obesity, and first-time heart attacks and strokes. But, he suggested, “it is less clear if Healthy eating can protect elderly patients from getting dementia.”
“Modifiable risk factors medicine allow physicians to give advice to patients to prevent disease and avoid medications,” Segil continued. “We have no clearly proven modifiable risk factors in life to prevent the onset of memory loss as we age or dementia at this time.
“I would like to see that the proposed MIND diet had any significant impact on a patient’s blood pressure, blood glucose, or serum lipid profile,” Segil added. “I would like to see if the MIND diet causes changes to routine lab tests physicians follow in their annual physical exams on patients.”
Monique Richard, MS, RDN, LDN, a registered dietitian nutritionist and owner of Nutrition-In-Sight, offered MNT her top tips for those who may want to try the MIND diet.
“Before implementing, be sure to meet with a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN) to understand further how these dietary patterns may, or may not, be beneficial to your needs, goals, preferences, ability to access, culinary literacy and cultural heritage,” Richard advised.
She said that individuals could consider adding these MIND diet components fairly easily to their current diet, depending on access, for nutrient dense choices bursting with flavor, texture and versatility:
- berries, such as strawberries, wild blueberries, raspberries, cherries, blackberries, elderberries
- leafy greens, including kale, spinach, turnip greens, collard greens, romaine lettuce, microgreens, mustard greens, arugula — these can be added to smoothies, sautéed dishes, stir-fry, soups, or eaten raw with each meal, aiming for 6 to 9 servings in a week
- nuts and seeds like pistachios, pecans, walnuts, almonds, Brazil nuts, hazelnuts, cashews, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seed kernels, chia seeds, flaxseeds — added to snacks, muffins, oatmeal, sandwiches, or salads
- Beans, such as kidney, lima, black beans, navy bean, garbanzo beans, or even lentils, legumes (like peanuts), and soybeans (edamame, fermented tofu) — aim for 4 to 6 meals per week that include beans
- non-starchy vegetables, such as onions, peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, radishes, beets, and carrots — eaten more often in addition to leafy greens
- whole grains like oats, whole rye, rice, buckwheat, farro, sorghum — incorporated into meals, at least 3 servings of these a day
- cold water fatty fish — 4–6 ounces per serving, two to three times a week
- olive oil — ideally high-quality, extra-virgin, cold-pressed olive oil in cooked dishes.
Richard suggested: “Be mindful — consider asking yourself what […] your meals look like on a daily basis in comparison to these recommended components. Do you know how to shop for, prepare, or consume these foods? Are you able to access a variety of these foods? What other tools may be helpful for you to incorporate these into your life?”
“Feed your mind — following dietary patterns such as the MIND diet are only part of the equation,” she also advised.
