The July 2017 issue of Neurology Now summarizes three diets that are thought to be beneficial for brain health. Last week we discussed the “Magic Diet” Disease Cure Mediterranean Pyramid Diet, now we review the MIND Diet.
Diet #2: MIND Diet (Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay)
What it may protect against: Cognitive decline, dementia, Alzheimer’s Disease
Examples of food consumed on this diet: Oatmeal with blueberries, strawberries and almonds, turkey breast, whole wheat toast, kale salad, roasted chicken and lentils
The diet focuses on 10 healthy brain food groups: chicken, fish, green leafy vegetables, other vegetables, berries, nuts, olive oil, wine, beans and whole grains. It recommends avoiding red meat, butter and stick margarine, cheese, pastries and sweets, and fried or fast food.
This diet was created by Martha Clare Morris, a nutritional epidemiologist at Rush University Medical School in Chicago in 2015. She and her colleagues combined aspects of two previously designed diets, the Mediterranean and the DASH, selecting specifically for the cognitive decline aspects of the diets.
For example, when examining the research that went into creating the other diets, Morris and her colleagues discovered that green leafy vegetables show the strongest effects in slowing cognitive decline and lowering the risk for dementia as compared to other vegetables. Blueberries and strawberries are rich in polyphenols and show the greatest association with slowing cognitive declines.
A study published in Alzheimer’s and Dementia from 2015 links the highest adherence to the MIND diet with a 53% reduction in the rate of Alzheimer’s Disease when compared to those who adhered the least. Another important finding was that moderate adherence demonstrated a 35% reduction, indicating that making some diet changes is still significant.
Look for Diet #3, the final blog post in this series next week.
Dr. Kelsey Hanlon, PT, DPT
