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People who consumed foods from the plant-based Mediterranean and brain-focused MIND diets had fewer signs of sticky beta-amyloid plaques and tau tangles in the brain that are hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease at autopsy. A new study discovered that
The MIND Diet stands for Mediterranean-DASH Diet Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay.
In fact, the study showed that people who followed both diets most closely had enough plaques and tangles in their brain tissue to be “nearly 40% less likely” to be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. increase.
According to a statement about the study, “People who scored the highest in adhering to the Mediterranean diet had an average amount of plaques and tangles in their brains, as well as people who scored the lowest, 18 years younger.” “The researchers also found that people who scored the highest in adhering to the MIND Diet were on average 12 years younger than those who scored the lowest, and had similar amounts of plaque and tangles.” I discovered what I have.”
That’s not all. Adding just one food category from either diet, such as eating the recommended amount of vegetables and fruits, reduced amyloid buildup in his brain to levels similar to being about four years younger, the study found. said.
“Making simple dietary changes, such as adding vegetables, berries, whole grains, olive oil and fish, can actually delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease and reduce the risk of dementia when you’re older. You can do it,” said study author Puja Agarwal. , Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago.
The best results come from leafy greens, she said. But adding berries, whole grains, and other healthy foods recommended in your diet can also be beneficial, she said.
“While this study does not definitively prove that it is possible to slow brain aging through dietary choices, the data suggests that I added green leafy vegetables to most of my diet and gave my patients a Mediterranean-style diet. Alzheimer’s disease researcher Richard Isaacson, Ph.D., a preventive neurologist at the Florida Institute of Neurodegenerative Diseases, said: I was not involved in research.
“Of course, the Mediterranean diet is also heart-healthy … by reducing the risk of stroke and neurovascular injuries that may increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease pathology,” the study.
“What’s good for the heart is good for the brain,” said Tanzi, who is also director of the Department of Genetics and Aging Research at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.
The Mediterranean diet emphasizes plant-based dishes. The bulk of each meal should be fruits and vegetables, whole grains, beans and seeds, and some nuts. Butter and other fats are rarely, if ever, consumed. Sweets and goods using white sugar and flour are rare.
Meat appears infrequently, but is usually just a flavoring to the dish. Instead, the diet may include eggs, dairy, and poultry, but in much smaller amounts than the traditional Western diet. However, brain-boosting omega-3-rich fish is a staple .
Having won top honors as the best diet for years, the Mediterranean diet has an impressive list of science behind it. It has also been found to help the heart, reduce diabetes, prevent bone loss, and promote weight loss.
The MIND Diet was developed in 2015 by researchers at Rush interested in taking the Mediterranean diet to the next level with a focus on brain health. According to Agarwal, instead of offering blanket statements to eat more vegetables and fruits like the Mediterranean diet, the MIND diet recommends specific amounts of known brain-healthy foods.
For example, darker leafy greens are better and should be eaten daily on the MIND diet. They include arugula, collards, dandelion leaves, endive, grape leaves, kale, mustard greens, romaine lettuce, spinach, swiss chard, and turnip leaves.
Berries are stressed more than other fruits on the MIND diet. Eat blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, or strawberries at least five days a week.
a 2017 survey Among nearly 6,000 healthy older Americans with an average age of 68, those who followed a Mediterranean or MIND diet were found to have a one-third lower risk of dementia.
the study, Published Wednesday in the journal Neurologyexamined the brains of 581 people who donated their bodies as part of each memory and aging project at Rush University. The project, which began in 1997, has collected information about participants’ diets annually since 2004, he said.
The current study analyzed 2014 dietary data for an average of six to seven years and compared that information to the number of plaques and tangles in each person’s brain at autopsy.
Examining brain tissue to determine specific levels of dementia markers is a unique part of the study, Agarwal said. Features of postmortem brain disease. ”
The study found that people who ate more pastries, sweets, fried foods, and fast food had much higher levels of plaques and tangles in brain tissue.
What foods helped reduce buildup the most? Green leafy vegetables are packed with bioactive substances, chemicals in food that reduce inflammation and promote health. Examples of bioactive compounds include vitamins, minerals, flavonoids (antioxidants) and carotenoids (pigments in vegetable skins).
The brain tissue of those who ate the most leafy greens appeared to accumulate plaque nearly 19 years younger than those who ate less than one serving per week, the study said in a statement.
“The combination of different nutrients and bioactives found in green leafy vegetables is what makes them unique,” says Agarwal. “They are very rich in many bioactive substances, flavonoids and lutein, which are important for brain health.”
There are various hypotheses as to why lutein helps with the overall integrity of the brain,” she added. “Reduction of oxidative stress and inflammation, etc.”
The most striking effect of diet was beta-amyloid accumulation, not tangles, and “the inverse association with beta-amyloid load was stronger for the Mediterranean diet than for the MIND diet,” the study said.
Tau tangles, another key marker of Alzheimer’s disease, decreased somewhat, but not as strongly as amyloid, Agarwal said.But Agarwai and her team another study Eating berries, an important part of the MIND diet, has been found to help reduce brain tangles.
“We still need to find out more about what exactly is going on,” she said. “Overall, however, these diets are rich in essential nutrients and bioactives that reduce overall inflammation and oxidative stress in the brain, possibly leading to less accumulation of amyloid plaques and tangles.”
