Sharpen Your Brain with the MIND Diet

Marcason (2015), says one of the MIND diets biggest advantages is that it’s easier to follow than the Mediterranean diet, which is challenging for many people because it requires the frequent consumption of fish along with several daily servings of fruit and vegetables.  The MIND diet is easier to follow because it recommends more accessible and affordable fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy.

A common thread running through all three brain healthy diets is that they are all plant-based and low in saturated fats.  The MIND diet is broken down into 15 food groups which are made up of ten brain-healthy elements and five unhealthy elements.  The ten brain-healthy groups include: green leafy vegetables, other vegetables, nuts, berries, beans, whole grains, fish, poultry, olive oil and wine.  The five food groups to be avoided are red meats, butter and stick margarine, cheese, pastries and sweets, and fried or fast food.  The suggested daily servings for the MIND diet include three servings of whole grains, a salad and one other vegetable, plus a glass of wine. In addition, snacking most days on nuts and beans is suggested.  Eating poultry and berries at least twice a week and fish at least once a week is also recommended (Marcason, 2015).

Morris et al. (2015), conducted an extensive study that assessed the dietary habits of more than 900 older adults ages 58 to 98 for five years.  Diet type was determined by a self-reporting food frequency questionnaire filled out at baseline and every year after that.  Cognitive function was also evaluated at baseline and at the conclusion of the study by two standardized qualitative tests.  Researchers found that seniors who closely followed the MIND diet for five years cut their risk of developing AD by as much as 53%.

Researchers also compared the long-term effects of the Mediterranean diet, DASH diet and MIND diet.  During the 4-1/2 year period, 144 out of the 923 volunteers developed AD.  They found that all three diets provided significant protection against AD and dementia when followed closely.  The Mediterranean diet lowered AD and ARD risk by 54%, the MIND diet lowered it by 53%, and the DASH diet reduced the risk of developing dementia by 39%.

However, an important difference between the MIND diet and the other two diets was found in the areas of adherence and results.  Protective brain benefits were negligible when participants only loosely followed either the DASH or Mediterranean diet.  But, as indicated earlier, even a marginal compliance to the MIND diet lowered AD risk by as much as 35% (Morris et al., 2015).Another positive finding from the Morris et al. study (2015), was that the longer people followed the MIND diet, the greater the cognitive benefits.  The brain age of the top third tertile of those most closely following the MIND diet was an equivalent of 7.5 years younger than those in the bottom third at, the conclusion of the study.

Another positive finding from the Morris study was that the longer people followed the MIND diet, the greater the cognitive benefits.  The brain age of the top third tertile of those most closely following the MIND diet was an equivalent of 7.5 years younger than those in the bottom third at, the conclusion of the study.

Among the drawbacks of the Morris et al. (2015), studies were the research was observational, not randomized or controlled, which didn’t yield any hard scientific evidence.  Instead, the research only showed an association between the two. In order to establish a cause-and-effect relationship between the MIND diet and lowered risk of AD.  A randomized controlled study is needed to examine whether combining diet with other lifestyle interventions like exercise and medications can provide additional benefits.

Eat Your Veggies

It turns out your mother was right, you really should eat your vegetables.  A study funded by the National Institutes of Health (Morris et al., 2015 March 30), found eating dark leafy green vegetables can take years of wear and tear off both your body and your brain.  Researchers followed the diets and measured the cognitive function of 954 senior citizens from Chicago’s Rush University Memory and Aging Project for five years.  On average, participants were 81 years old at the start of the study. More than 70% were women.  To determine nutritional patterns, study subjects filled out a self-report 144-item food and drink survey about the types and quantities of food they ate on a daily basis once a year for the duration of the study.  Participants were given a battery of 19 quantitative tests every year to measure cognitive function.  Results of the tests were adjusted for sex, age, smoking, and education.

Researchers distilled the individual nutrients in the diets down to the ones they thought to be responsible for improved brain performance.  They eventually concluded that vitamin K was a principal agent leading to slower cognitive decline.  Researchers found that study participants who ate more spinach, kale, collards and mustard greens had significantly lower rates of cognitive decline than those who didn’t.  They concluded that beta-carotene, lutein, and other minerals in leafy green vegetables also helped improve or maintain cognitive function.  At the end of the five-year study, people who ate one or two servings of leafy green vegetables per day scored the equivalent of 11 years younger on cognitive tests than those who didn’t eat any vegetables.

The study concluded by saying more research is needed to help determine exactly which nutrients in leafy green vegetables benefit the brain. The researchers warned that the study focused exclusively on food sources of vitamin K. They noted that it is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to separate vitamin K from the other nutrients found in the fresh vegetables.

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