MIND diet linked to better cognitive performance
Study finds diet may contribute to cognitive resilience in the elderly


Date:
September 21, 2021
Source:
Rush University Medical Center
Summary:
Researchers have found that older adults may benefit from a
specific diet called the MIND diet even when they develop these
protein deposits, known as amyloid plaques and tangles.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== Aging takes a toll on the body and on the mind. For example, the tissue
of aging human brains sometimes develops abnormal clumps of proteins
that are the hallmark of Alzheimer's disease. How can you protect your
brain from these effects?

========================================================================== Researchers at Rush University Medical Center have found that older
adults may benefit from a specific diet called the MIND diet even
when they develop these protein deposits, known as amyloid plaques and
tangles. Plaques and tangles are a pathology found in the brain that
build up in between nerve cells and typically interfere with thinking
and problem-solving skills.

Developed by the late Martha Clare Morris, ScD, who was a Rush nutritional epidemiologist, and her colleagues, the MIND diet is a hybrid of the Mediterranean and DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diets.

Previous research studies have found that the MIND diet may reduce a
person's risk of developing Alzheimer's disease dementia.

Now a study has shown that participants in the study who followed the MIND
diet moderately later in life did not have cognition problems, according
to a paper published on Sept. 14 in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease.

"Some people have enough plaques and tangles in their brains to have a postmortem diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease, but they do not develop
clinical dementia in their lifetime," said Klodian Dhana, MD, PhD,
lead author of the paper and an assistant professor in the Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine in the Department of Internal Medicine
at Rush Medical College .

"Some have the ability to maintain cognitive function despite the
accumulation of these pathologies in the brain, and our study suggests
that the MIND diet is associated with better cognitive functions
independently of brain pathologies related to Alzheimer's disease.



==========================================================================
In this study, the researchers examined the associations of diet -- from
the start of the study until death -- brain pathologies and cognitive functioning in older adults who participated in the Rush Alzheimer's
Disease Center's ongoing Memory and Aging Project, which began in 1997 and includes people living in greater Chicago. The participants were mostly
white without known dementia, and all of them agreed to undergo annual
clinical evaluations while alive and brain autopsy after their death.

The researchers followed 569 participants, who were asked to complete
annual evaluations and cognitive tests to see if they had developed
memory and thinking problems. Beginning in 2004, participants were given
an annual food frequency questionnaire about how often they ate 144 food
items in previous year.

Using the questionnaire answers, the researchers gave each
participant a MIND diet score based on how often the participants ate
specific foods. The MIND diet has 15 dietary components, including 10 "brain-healthy food groups" and five unhealthy groups -- red meat, butter
and stick margarine, cheese, pastries and sweets, and fried or fast food.

To adhere to and benefit from the MIND diet, a person would need to eat
at least three servings of whole grains, a green leafy vegetable and one
other vegetable every day -- along with a glass of wine -- snack most
days on nuts, have beans every other day or so, eat poultry and berries
at least twice a week and fish at least once a week. A person also must
limit intake of the designated unhealthy foods, limiting butter to less
than 1 1/2 teaspoons a day and eating less than a serving a week of
sweets and pastries, whole fat cheese, and fried or fast food.

Based on the frequency of intake reported for the healthy and unhealthy
food groups, the researchers calculated the MIND diet score for each participant across the study period. An average of the MIND diet score
from the start of the study until the participant's death was used in
the analysis to limit measurement error. Seven sensitivity measures were calculated to confirm accuracy of the findings.

"We found that a higher MIND diet score was associated with better memory
and thinking skills independently of Alzheimer's disease pathology and
other common age-related brain pathologies. The diet seemed to have a protective capacity and may contribute to cognitive resilience in the
elderly." Dhana said.

"Diet changes can impact cognitive functioning and risk of dementia,
for better or worse," he continued. "There are fairly simple
diet and lifestyle changes a person could make that may help to
slow cognitive decline with aging, and contribute to brain health." ========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by
Rush_University_Medical_Center. Original written by Nancy Di Fiore. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Klodian Dhana, Bryan D. James, Puja Agarwal, Neelum T. Aggarwal,
Laurel
J. Cherian, Sue E. Leurgans, Lisa L. Barnes, David A. Bennett,
Julie A.

Schneider. MIND Diet, Common Brain Pathologies, and Cognition in
Community-Dwelling Older Adults. Journal of Alzheimer's Disease,
2021; 83 (2): 683 DOI: 10.3233/JAD-210107 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/09/210921172721.htm

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