, locking in the parts of each associated with dementia protection. “Good fats, such as olive oil, and vegetables are brain-healthy components of the Mediterranean diet,” says Dr. Bredesen. “Meanwhile, vegetables and wild-caught fish that are low in mercury are both brain-healthy components of the DASH diet.
The team of researchers behind the 2015 study followed over 900 men and women ages 58 to 98 for an average of 4 1⁄2 years, assessing their diets with detailed food questionnaires and testing their cognitive function annually. They scored participants’ diets by how closely they matched the Mediterranean, DASH, or MIND eating patterns. The DASH diet reduced Alzheimer's disease risk by 39%, the MIND diet by 53%, and the Mediterranean diet by 54%.
It’s worth noting that in the study, those with the highest MIND diet scores ate cheese and fried or fast food less than once a week, red meat less than four times a week, and desserts, pastries, or sweets less than five times a week. They also used less than a tablespoon of butter or margarine a day, and made olive oil their main source of fat. Translation: It’s not enough to eat the brain-friendly foods; to help lower your AD risk, it’s necessary to limit these less-healthy groups as well.
"Several trials are currently ongoing to test the impact of MIND diet on cognitive decline, and other structural changes in the brain after 3 years in 604 adults," says
Stay healthy everyone!