Can MIND diet reduce risk of dementia? Study sheds light

A new study from Columbia University in New York suggested that eating a healthy diet can slow the effects of ageing on the human body, including on the brain.

The findings published in the journal Annals of Neurology revealed that the right diet could, in effect, slow down the pace of brain aging, reducing the risk of dementia.

A suitable diet such as “The MIND diet” can influence brain aging by providing essential nutrients that support cognitive function and protect against damage. For instance, diets rich in antioxidants, omega-3 fatty acids, and vitamins B, C, D, and E can help reduce inflammation, oxidative stress, and the buildup of harmful proteins in the brain, which are all factors associated with accelerated aging and dementia risk.

In the study, researchersanalysed participants ≥60 years-old, free of dementia and having dietary, epigenetic, and follow-up data. They assessed healthy diet as long-term adherence to the Mediterranean-Dash Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay diet (MIND diet) and measured the pace of ageing from blood DNA methylation data collected in 2005–2008 using the Dunedin-PACE epigenetic clock.

Of 1,644 included participants with a mean age of 69.6,140 developed dementia and 471 died over 14 years of follow-up. A greater MIND score was associated with slower Dunedin-PACE and reduced risks for dementia and mortality. In mediation analysis, slower Dunedin-PACE accounted for 27% of the diet-dementia association and 57% of the diet-mortality association.

The findings suggested that a slower pace of aging mediates part of the relationship of healthy diet with reduced dementia risk. Monitoring pace of aging may inform dementia prevention. However, a large fraction of the diet-dementia association remains unexplained and may reflect direct connections between diet and brain aging that do not overlap other organ systems.

“The MIND diet provides key nutrients for brain health: long-chain omega-3 fatty acids with anti-inflammatory and vaso-protective properties, polyphenols which are antioxidants, as well as phenolic compounds, vitamins E and B, sphingolipids or choline with properties against amyloidogenesis, oxidative stress, or inflammation.” Said Dr. Aline Thomas, First author of the study.

Reference: Aline Thomas PhD, Calen P. Ryan PhD, Avshalom Caspi PhD, Zhonghua Liu PhD, Terrie E. Moffitt PhD, Karen Sugden PhD, Jiayi Zhou MPH, Daniel W. Belsky PhD, Yian Gu MD, PhD;Diet, Pace of Biological Aging, and Risk of Dementia in the Framingham Heart Study; Journal: Annals of Neurology; https://doi.org/10.1002/ana.26900