People who followed either the Mediterranean or Mediterranean-inspired MIND diets were found to have fewer signs of Alzheimer’s disease in their brains at autopsy, according to a new study of nearly 600 elderly adults.
The Mediterranean diet is made up of unprocessed cereals, legumes, fruits, vegetables, olive oil, and smaller portions of fish, dairy products, and meat. The MIND diet is based off of the Mediterranean diet and combines it with the DASH diet to specifically nurture brain health.
MIND stands for “Mediterranean-DASH intervention for neurodegenerative delay.” The DASH diet (dietary approaches to stop hypertension) is very similar to the Mediterranean diet but has more specific recommendations and is less plant-based.
The participants agreed to have their brains studied at Rush’s neurological research center after death. When examining those brains, the scientists specifically looked for two hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease: amyloid plaques, which are buildups of protein fragments that can disrupt the communication between nerve cells; and tau tangles, which occur when a protein called tau becomes abnormally shaped and can no longer do its job to transport nutrients and other essential substances in nerve cells.
The study found an association between following the Mediterranean or MIND diet and having fewer of these indicators of Alzheimer’s disease.
This association stands even after adjusting for factors such as physical activity, smoking, and vascular disease and excluding those who had mild cognitive impairment or dementia at the time they enrolled, the scientists noted.
For the study, participants received higher scores if they adhered to the Mediterranean diet by eating whole grain cereals, fruits, vegetables, legumes, olive oil, fish, and potatoes. They were given lower scores if they ate red meat, poultry, and full-fat dairy products.
Participants were given higher scores if they ate brain-focused MIND foods such as leafy green vegetables, other vegetables, nuts, berries, beans, whole grains, fish, poultry, olive oil, and wine. They lost points for eating foods deemed unhealthy, such as red meats, butter and margarine, cheese, pastries and sweets, and fried and fast food.
On top of that, the brain tissue of people who ate seven or more servings of leafy green vegetables per week looked nearly 19 years younger in terms of plaque buildup than that of people who ate a serving or less per week.
The study was published on March 8 in Neurology, the flagship journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
“These results are exciting—improvement in people’s diets in just one area—such as eating more than six servings of green leafy vegetables per week, or not eating fried foods—was associated with fewer amyloid plaques in the brain similar to being about four years younger,” said Dr. Puja Agarwal, a nutritional epidemiologist at Rush and the study’s lead author.
“Our finding that eating more green leafy vegetables is in itself associated with fewer signs of Alzheimer’s disease in the brain is intriguing enough for people to consider adding more of these vegetables to their diet.”
The researchers noted that the findings don’t prove that following a healthy diet such as Mediterranean or MIND results in fewer Alzheimer’s disease plaques and tangles in the brain. They acknowledged that further investigation is needed to better understand the potential mechanisms through which diet may protect the brain.
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