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It’s often said that what’s good for the heart is also good for the brain, and research suggests this may be true for the Mediterranean diet pattern. A variety of studies have found that older adults who eat a Mediterranean-style diet are at lower risk of general age-related decline in memory and other cognitive skills—including Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia in older adults. “There is growing evidence that a healthy diet rich in green leafy vegetables, berries, whole grains and healthy fats from sources such as olive oil and fish can lower a person’s risk for not only heart disease, but cognitive decline related to Alzheimer’s and stroke as well,” says Tammy Scott, PhD, a scientist in Tufts’ HNRCA Neuroscience and Aging Laboratory.
A study of older adults living in retirement communities and senior public housing units in the Chicago area, the Memory and Aging Project (MAP), investigated the benefits of a diet that combines features of the Mediterranean and DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diets. It’s called the Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay, or MIND diet.
An observational study published in Alzheimer’s and Dementia in 2015, drawing on data from MAP, found that adhering closely to the Mediterranean/DASH hybrid eating pattern is associated with a slower rate of cognitive decline and lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. More recently, researchers from Rush University Medical Center reported in January 2018 at the International Stroke Conference that the MIND diet may help the slow cognitive decline in stroke survivors.
At the same time, the search for new drugs to treat Alzheimer’s disease continues, although recent clinical trials of once-promising drugs have been disappointing. Pfizer Inc. recently announced that the company was pulling out of development of new Alzheimer’s drugs after clinical trials failed to prove their experimental drug helps people with mild to moderate dementia.
Right now, maintaining a brain-healthy lifestyle is the best bet for preventing cognitive decline in older age, and can provide benefits for heart disease and diabetes as well. “Since currently available medical treatments of Alzheimer’s disease and age-related cognitive decline have had very limited success, adopting a healthy diet and lifestyle is probably the best strategy for maintaining brain health,” Scott says.