Dementia and Alzheimer's often get used interchangeably, but Alzheimer's is actually the most common form of dementia. Symptoms of both may include cognitive difficulties with memory, reasoning, and language. However, Alzheimer's is a specific brain disease in which dementia symptoms worsen over time, explains Mayo Clinic. As the most common form of dementia, it affects roughly 1 in 9 Americans over age 65, a staggering 7.2 million Americans, reports the Alzheimer's Association.
A large cohort of doctors predicts that by the year 2060, dementia cases will double, affecting 42 percent of Americans age 55 and older and 50 percent of those 75 and older. With this looming figure on the horizon, researchers are hard at work to find preventative measures for dementia. And now, scientists believe they've pinpointed the number-one diet to help ward off dementia and Alzheimer's. Keep reading to learn about this healthy eating plan.
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Science shows the MIND diet can reduce dementia risk.
Several recent studies suggest that the MIND diet can reduce dementia and Alzheimer's disease (AD) risk. In fact, the MIND diet (Mediterranean-DASH Diet Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay) was devised by doctors and scientists from Rush University Medical Center in 2016 specifically to "capture dietary components shown to be neuroprotective," according to their corresponding study.
As they explain, other research shows that the Mediterranean and DASH diets could slow cognitive decline, "however, neither diet is specific to the nutrition literature on dementia prevention."
For reference, the Mediterranean diet "is a way of eating that emphasizes plant-based foods and healthy fats," including fruits and veggies, legumes, nuts, whole grains, extra virgin olive oil, and fish rich in omega-3s such as salmon, explains Cleveland Clinic. It also limits processed foods, those with added sugars, and red meat.
The DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet recommends a similar way of eating to the Mediterranean diet, but it allows more dairy and meat (mainly poultry) and focuses more heavily on reducing sodium intake. Therefore, it's considered one of the best ways to lower blood pressure and keep your heart healthy.
When optimizing for the MIND diet, the Rush researchers created a scoring system for individual foods based on their brain-protectiveness qualities and how much of them are consumed. They observed that study participants who scored the highest saw cognitive scores equivalent to being 7.5 years younger in age.
"The study shows that the MIND diet lowered the risk of AD by as much as 53 percent in participants who adhered to the diet rigorously, and by about 35 percent in those who followed it moderately well," according to a press release.
"People with high adherence to the DASH and Mediterranean diets also had reductions in AD—39 percent with the DASH diet and 54 percent with the Mediterranean diet—but got negligible benefits from moderate adherence to either of the two other diets," the release added.
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A new body of research, presented this week at the annual meeting of the American Society for Nutrition, also extolled the benefits of the MIND diet for dementia prevention.
In this study, researchers from the University of Hawaii at Mānoa and the University of Southern California analyzed nutrition and health data from nearly 93,000 U.S. adults aged 45 to 75. Throughout the 10-year study period, over 21,000 developed Alzheimer’s or related dementias, according to a press release.
When the study began, those who had a higher adherence to the MIND diet showed a 9 percent lower risk of dementia. After 10 years, those who improved their scores, had a 25 percent lower risk of developing dementia.
"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," said study co-author Song-Yi Park, an associate professor at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. "This suggests that it is never too late to adopt a healthy diet to prevent dementia."
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What foods are part of the MIND diet?
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As the 2016 press release explains, the MIND diet consists of 10 brain-healthy food groups:
- Green leafy vegetables (a salad and one other vegetable every day)
- Other vegetables
- Nuts (eaten as a snack most days)
- Berries (at least twice a week)
- Beans (eaten every other day)
- Whole grains (at least three servings a day)
- Fish (at least once a week)
- Poultry (at least twice a week)
- Olive oil
- Wine (one glass every day)
The MIND diet also consists of 5 unhealthy food groups that should be avoided:
- Red meats
- Butter and stick margarine (less than 1 tablespoon a day)
- Cheese (less than one serving a week)
- Pastries and sweets
- Fried or fast food (less than one serving a week)
The inclusion of berries is specific to the MIND diet. Study co-author Martha Clare Morris, ScD, a Rush professor and director of Nutrition and Nutritional Epidemiology, said, "Blueberries are one of the more potent foods in terms of protecting the brain," adding that strawberries have also been shown to offer cognitive benefits.
Lauren Harris-Pincus, a registered dietitian nutritionist and author of The Everything Easy Pre-Diabetes Cookbook (who was not involved in the study), told Fox News Digital that MIND diet foods "contain nutrients that play a critical role in supporting brain health, including flavonoids, carotenoids, B vitamins, omega-3 fatty acids (especially DHA), choline, and minerals like magnesium, potassium and calcium."
