This Diet May Help Protect Brain Tissue As You Age, Study Finds

Following a diet that combines Mediterranean-style eating with the blood pressure-lowering DASH diet may help slow some of the structural changes that naturally occur in the brain with age, new research suggests.

The study, published online in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery & Psychiatry, found that greater adherence to the MIND diet was associated with less loss of brain tissue over time, particularly grey matter. The diet was also linked to less enlargement of the brain’s ventricles, fluid-filled spaces that tend to become larger as brain tissue decreases.

Grey matter is particularly important for functions including memory, learning, decision-making and information processing. Changes in brain structure are also relevant to neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.

What is the MIND diet?

MIND stands for Mediterranean-DASH Diet Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay. The eating pattern combines elements of the Mediterranean diet and Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, or DASH, diet, with an emphasis on foods that may support brain and cardiovascular health.

The MIND diet prioritizes green leafy vegetables, other vegetables, berries, nuts, whole grains, fish, beans, olive oil and poultry. It also allows moderate wine consumption.

At the same time, the diet calls for limiting butter and margarine, cheese, red meat, pastries and sweets, as well as fried and fast foods.

Earlier research has associated the MIND diet with better cognitive health. However, researchers say less was known about whether following the diet was also associated with changes in the physical structure of the aging brain.

Researchers followed more than 1,600 adults

For the study, researchers analyzed data from 1,647 middle-aged and older adults participating in the Framingham Heart Study Offspring cohort. Their average age was 60 when the study began.

Participants received regular health evaluations every four to eight years. Beginning in 1999, they also underwent MRI brain scans at intervals ranging from two to six years.

Researchers assessed participants’ diets using at least one food frequency questionnaire completed during health examinations conducted between 1991 and 1995, 1995 and 1998, and/or 1998 and 2001.

Each participant had at least two brain MRI assessments between 1999 and 2019. None had evidence of stroke or dementia at the time of their first MRI scan.

The average MIND diet score was slightly below 7 out of a possible 15, with a score of 15 indicating the strongest adherence to the eating pattern.

People in the highest third for MIND adherence were more likely to be women and have a college education. They were also less likely to smoke or have obesity.

This group also had lower rates of several conditions that can affect brain health, including type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease.

Higher MIND adherence linked to slower grey matter loss

Over an average follow-up period of 12 years, MRI scans showed several changes typically associated with brain aging across the study population.

Total brain volume, grey matter, white matter and hippocampal volume all decreased over time. Meanwhile, cerebrospinal fluid and ventricular volumes increased. Researchers also observed an increase in white matter hyperintensities, which appear as bright areas on MRI scans and can indicate tissue damage.

Despite these age-related changes, participants with higher MIND diet scores experienced a slower loss of grey matter.

The findings add to previous research linking the MIND diet with cognitive health and suggest that the potential benefits of the eating pattern may extend beyond how the brain functions to changes in its physical structure.

The researchers’ findings are observational, meaning they show an association between MIND diet adherence and brain changes rather than proving that the diet directly prevents brain tissue loss. Still, the results provide further evidence for the potential role of a nutrient-rich eating pattern in supporting brain health as people age.