MIND Your Brain

Presently with no cure and affecting greater numbers of the population due to global aging, Alzheimer’s Disease is a devastating brain disorder that is a major public health concern. Numerous efforts that aim to delay or reduce the risk of disease onset are now underway.  Martha Clare Morris, from Rush University Medical Center (Illinois, USA), and colleagues developed a dietary approach, The Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay (MIND) diet – featuring 15 dietary components including 10 “brain healthy food groups” including leafy greens, nuts, berries, beans, whole grains, fish, poultry olive oil and wine.  The team assessed 923 subjects, ages 58 to 98 years, followed on average 4.5 years, for their dietary habits that were then rated based on adherence to the components of the MIND diet. After adjusting for confounding factors, the researchers observed that adherence to the MIND diet lowered the risk of Alzheimer’s by as much has 53% (among subjects  who adhered to the diet rigorously), and by about 35% (among those who followed it moderately well).  The investigators note that berries are a fruit that is specific to the MIND diet, highlighting the brain protective effects of blueberries and strawberries.  The study authors conclude that:  “Moderate adherence to [The Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay] diet may also decrease [Alzheimer’s Disease] risk.” The MIND diet has also been ranked as the easiest diet to follow and the second-best overall diet for 2016 by US News & World Report.