Eating right to beat dementia
A recent study by a team of researchers in the USA identified a dietary pattern that can significantly reduce the risk of developing dementia. The diet had been ranked as one of the easiest diets to follow, and a good diet for healthy eating. Martha Clare Morris and her colleagues at Rush University Medical Center developed the Mediterranean-DASH Diet Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay (MIND), a diet that is a combination of the Mediterranean and DASH diets.
The Mediterranean diet is rich with foods that are low in saturated fat, healthy oils, fresh fruit, vegetables, legumes and contains moderate amounts of fish, white meat and some dairy produce. One of the key aspects is the inclusion of Olive oil, a monounsaturated fat commonly associated with the Mediterranean diet.
The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet was originally designed to lower blood pressure. The building blocks of the DASH diet include fruit and vegetables, nuts, with low fat and non-fat diary, lean meat, fish and poultry, whole grain and heart healthy fats.
Research cites that both the Mediterranean and DASH diets are effective in reducing the risk of high blood pressure, heart attacks, strokes, and dementia. Morris and her colleagues used previous research data to assess which foods and their nutrients had a positive, or negative effect on the brain.The MIND trial followed 923 individuals aged 58 to 98 for an average of 4.5 years, in a range of two to 10 years. Participants who carefully followed the MIND diet were at a 53% reduced risk of cognitive decline, with those who did not follow the diet as strictly still showing around a 35% lower risk of the disease. Evidence further suggest the diet may also slow cognitive impairment amongst older adults even if they are not at risk of developing dementia.
The MIND diet consists of 15 dietary components, with ten brain-healthy food groups and five unhealthy groups.To benefit from the cognitive-protecting effects of the diet the team advise including the following food:
Green leafy vegetable every day.
Other vegetable every day.
Nuts on most days.
Beans every other day.
Poultry at least twice a week.
Fish at least once a week.
Olive oil.
Whole grains.
Glass of wine a day.
Berries at least twice a week.
The MIND diet specifically included berries, with previous studies citing strawberries as having a positive effect on cognitive function of the brain. However, blueberries containing a cocktail of anti-oxidants including anthocyanins, proanthocyanidins, resveratrol and tannins, are considered to be one of the most potent foods available for protecting the brain. For improved cognitive function and health, there are five unhealthy brain food groups that must be limited. They include:
Red meat.
Butter/margarine.
Cheese.
Pastries and sweets.
Fried and fast foods.
The MIND diet recommends restricting butter to less than 1 tablespoon a day, and less than one serving a week of sweets and pastries, cheese, fried and fast food.