WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - A new study from the University of Hawaii Cancer Center found that people who followed the MIND diet were much less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease or other forms of dementia, even if they started eating healthier later in life.
The MIND diet is a mix of the Mediterranean and DASH diets. It includes brain-friendly foods like leafy green vegetables, berries, nuts, and olive oil.
The study looked at data from nearly 93,000 adults in the U.S. who were part of a large research project called the Multiethnic Cohort, led by the UH Cancer Center and the University of Southern California.
At the beginning of the study, participants were between 45 and 75 years old. Over time, more than 21,000 of them developed dementia. But those who followed the MIND diet closely for 10 years had a 25 percent lower risk of developing dementia compared to those who didn't stick with it.
The biggest benefits were seen among African American, Latino, and White participants. The diet didn't show the same strong effect among Native Hawaiian and Asian American groups, possibly because of differences in cultural eating habits or already lower rates of dementia in these populations.
'The associations between dietary patterns and dementia were stronger in older adults and women and varied between the obese and non-obese groups, highlighting the differential impact of dietary patterns across subgroups,' wrote the researchers.
'Our findings underscore the potential of dietary interventions as modifiable factors to reduce the risk of dementia, particularly in vulnerable populations.'
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