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Mar 12

How the MIND and Mediterranean Diets May Impact Your … – Prevention Magazine

Diets that Work Comments Off on How the MIND and Mediterranean Diets May Impact Your … – Prevention Magazine

Alzheimers disease is a complicated condition, and experts are still trying to figure out why some people develop it while others dont. Now, a new study suggests that what you eat can play a role in your risk of developing Alzheimersand two diets in particular may help lower your chances of developing the devastating disease.

The study, which was published in the journal Neurology, examined the brains of more than 580 people who donated their body to Rush Universitys Memory and Aging Project, which has been collecting annual dietary information and doing annual check-ups on study participants since 2004. The study analyzed data on the dietary habits of participants from 2014 through 2020 or 2021, and compared that with the number of plaques and tangles that were in each persons brain during an autopsy.

Plaques and tangles, in case youre not familiar with them, are key markers of Alzheimers disease. In a person who has Alzheimers disease, beta-amyloid proteins clump together to form plaques that collect between neurons and interfere with cell function, according to the National Institute on Aging (NIA). Tangles are an accumulation of a protein called tau that collect inside neurons and interfere with communication between neurons, the NIA says.

The researchers discovered that people who had eating patterns that closely followed the MIND or Mediterranean diets had almost 40% lower chances of developing Alzheimers disease than others.

The researchers specifically found that green leafy vegetables were the most beneficial, with brain tissue from people who ate the most leafy greens looking nearly 19 years younger in terms of plaque buildup than those who only had one or less servings of leafy greens a week.

The study raises a lot of questions about diets role in Alzheimers disease, as well as why these eating plans in particular may be helpful in lowering your risk. Heres the deal.

There are a lot of potential factors that can influence your risk of developing Alzheimers disease, including genetics and aging, the NIA says. As for diet, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) says that its possible that what you eat may influence your risk of developing Alzheimers disease. The NIH also points to the MIND and Mediterranean diets as being especially helpful in the prevention of Alzheimers disease.

We and others previously found that healthy diets are associated with reduced dementia risk and better cognitive function in an aging population, says lead study author Puja Agarwal, Ph.D., an assistant professor of internal medicine at the Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. What the latest study shows is that diet may be directly related to the formation of plaques and tangles in the brain, Agarwal says.

The exact mechanism of how diet and plaques and tangles relate needs further investigation and we speculated that there might be other mechanisms through which diet may impact the risk for Alzheimers disease, she says.

And, at a basic level, you are what you eat, says Amit Sachdev, M.D., M.S., medical director in the Department of Neurology at Michigan State University. Diet is a metric for overall wellness, he says. In general. healthy body means healthy brain.

Again, this is still being explored. However, there are some theories.

One of the proposed mechanisms is that both the MIND and the Mediterranean are plant-based diets rich in various essential nutrients and bioactive compounds that are required to maintain brain health, Agarwal says. They also have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties which may help prevent amyloid burden and neuronal loss.

Dr. Sachdev agrees that the diets anti-inflammatory properties may play a role. Some diets are better at controlling body-wide inflammation, he says. Unfortunately, the typical starch-heavy American diet is not a great choice. However, he says, the Mediterranean and MIND diets balance styles of food and portion size in a way that reduces overall burden of body inflammation.

Dr. Sachdev also notes that the Mediterranean diet in particular is linked to blood vessel health. When we think of Mediterranean diet, we think of the health of blood vessels in the brain and reducing strokes. There is strong evidence for this, he says. Research has also found that blood vessel issues are linked to an increased risk of Alzheimers.

The Mediterranean diet is based on the lifestyles of people who live in the Mediterranean region, which includes Greece, Italy, and Spain, explains Jessica Cording, R.D., author of The Little Book of Game-Changers. It focuses on high intakes of vegetables, legumes, fruits, nuts, grains, fish, seafood, extra virgin olive oil, and some red wine. The diet also encourages followers to limit red meat, Cording says.

The Mediterranean diet is designed to be a lifestyle, Cording says, noting that people on the diet are also encouraged to be active. Research has linked the Mediterranean diet with good heart health, optimal blood sugar levels, and a lowered risk of dementia.

The MIND diet (which stands for MediterraneanDASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay) is a form of the Mediterranean diet that focuses on plant-based foods linked to dementia prevention, according to the NIA. It specifically encourages people to eat from these food groups:

The diet also recommends that you limit servings of red meat, sweets, cheese, butter and margarine, and fast and fried foods, the NIA says.

If youre concerned about your Alzheimers disease risk, experts say its definitely worth taking a look at your diet. However, its important to stress that diet isnt the only factor in the development of Alzheimers disease.

Alzheimers disease risk is greatly influenced by genetics and age. Diet is a part of the conversation, Dr. Sachdev says.

If you want to change up your diet but are uncertain where to start, Agarwal recommends keeping in mind basic principles of both the MIND and Mediterranean diets. Both diets emphasize consuming more vegetables, especially green leafy, fruits including berries, whole grains, legumes, nuts, poultry, fish, and olive oil, Agarwal says. These diets also encourage avoiding or limiting high-fat, high-sugar foods, including red meat, fried foods, butter, full-fat cheese, and pastries and sweets.

Not sure where to start? Try incorporating more whole plant foods into your diet, says Molly Rapozo, R.D.N., senior nutrition and health educator at Pacific Neuroscience Institute in Santa Monica, Calif. If leafy greens arent a staple already, this could be a great place to start, she says.

And, if you want to improve your diet but arent sure how to make changes work for you, Cording suggests that you consider meeting with a registered dietitian. They can help guide you on foods and meals to try to get you on the right track.

Korin Miller is a freelance writer specializing in general wellness, sexual health and relationships, and lifestyle trends, with work appearing in Mens Health, Womens Health, Self, Glamour, and more. She has a masters degree from American University, lives by the beach, and hopes to own a teacup pig and taco truck one day.

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How the MIND and Mediterranean Diets May Impact Your ... - Prevention Magazine

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