Dementia is the 6th leading cause of death in the US! Mediterranean and DASH diets have been shown to be associated with slower brain decline as we age. These two eating patterns were put together to make a super charged eating pattern called the MIND diet. That stands for Mediterranean-Dash Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay.

The overall premise of the MIND diet includes 10 food groups that were associated with less brain decline and 5 food groups that were associated with more brain decline. These food choices were based on previous studies that linked these foods to either benefit or harm to your brain aging process. Foods that have been associated with brain aging improvements have several things in common. They are high in fiber, omega 3’s, B vitamins, vitamin E, and antioxidants such as carotenoids and flavonoids.

To put this eating pattern to the test, almost 1000 older people were studied over 5 years as part of the Memory and Aging Project. It is important to remember that this was not a randomized, placebo controlled trial, so it just shows association, not causation. Also, we don’t know if what was studied is the best recommendation because this research did not study that in particular. However, the association was statistically strong and this eating pattern warrants further study. In the research, participants in the top quartile of MIND Diet scores vs the lowest quartile of scores showed a difference in cognitive aging of 7.5 years younger! More research is needed to show definite benefits, but these foods are healthy to include anyways, so you can follow the MIND diet recommendations while we are waiting for more research!

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