New Study Links This Diet to Slower Brain Aging by 2.5 Years

Following the MIND diet may be associated with slower age-related changes in brain structure, particularly less loss of grey matter, according to a long-term study of more than 1,600 adults.

Published online in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery & Psychiatry, the study followed 1,647 middle-aged and older adults from the Framingham Heart Study Offspring cohort. Participants had an average age of 60 years at the start and underwent repeated health assessments and brain MRI scans over about 12 years.

The MIND diet combines elements of the Mediterranean diet and the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension eating pattern. It emphasises green leafy vegetables, other vegetables, berries, nuts, whole grains, fish, beans, olive oil and poultry, while limiting red meat, sweets, fried fast foods, butter and cheese. Participants were given MIND diet scores based on their reported food intake. The average score was just under 7 out of 15.

MRI scans showed that brain tissue generally declined with age across the study population, while ventricular volume increased. However, higher MIND diet scores were associated with slower grey matter loss.

For every three-point increase in MIND score, grey matter loss was slower by 0.279 cm³ per year. Researchers estimated this represented about 20% less age-related decline, equivalent to around 2.5 years of delayed brain ageing. Higher scores were also associated with slower enlargement of the brain's ventricles, corresponding to about one year of delayed brain ageing.

Higher berry and poultry intake showed particularly favourable associations, while greater consumption of sweets and fried fast foods was linked to less favourable changes in some brain regions.

However, some findings differed from expectations. Higher whole-grain intake was associated with faster changes in several brain measures, while greater cheese intake was associated with some favourable structural patterns.

The study was observational and cannot prove that the MIND diet directly slows brain ageing. Dietary information was self-reported, and researchers could not fully exclude changes in diet, genetic factors or other influences.

REFERENCE: Hui Chen, et al.; Adherence to the MIND diet and longitudinal brain structural changes over a decade: evidence from the Framingham heart study offspring cohort. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, 2026; 97 (6): 505 DOI: 10.1136/jnnp-2025-336957