The Diet that Slows Aging by 7.5 Years

Sharon Moore August 05, 2015

Eating a group of specific foods, known as the MIND diet, may slow cognitive decline among aging adults, regardless of their risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. That’s according to a new study published in the journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association.

The research shows that older adults who followed the MIND diet had a cognitive age equivalent to 7.5 years younger than those who did not follow the diet.

The study involved 960 older adults, with an average years of 81.4 years, and were free from dementia at the beginning. They were part of the Rush Memory and Aging Project, of more than 40 retirement communities and senior public housing units in the Chicago area.

During the course of the study, they received annual, standardised testing for cognitive ability in five areas – episodic memory, working memory, semantic memory, visuospatial ability, and perceptual speed. The participants completed annual food frequency questionnaires, which allowed the researchers to compare participants’ reported adherence to the MIND diet with changes in their cognitive abilities as shown in their test results.

"Everyone experiences decline with aging; and Alzheimer’s disease is now the sixth leading cause of death in the U.S., which accounts for 60 to 80 per cent of dementia cases. Therefore, prevention of cognitive decline, the defining feature of dementia, is now more important than ever," says Martha Clare Morris, ScD, a nutritional epidemiologist and lead author of the study. "Delaying dementia’s onset by just five years can reduce the cost and prevalence by nearly half."

The MIND diet has 15 dietary components, including 10 "brain-healthy food groups" and five unhealthy groups - red meat, butter and stick margarine, cheese, pastries and sweets, and fried or fast food.

To reap its benefits, one should have at least three servings of whole grains, a green leafy vegetable and one other vegetable every day, along with a glass of wine. They should snack most days on nuts, have beans every other day or so, eat poultry and berries at least twice a week and fish at least once a week. And for complete protection against the devastating effects of cognitive decline, the person must limit intake of the designated unhealthy foods, especially butter (less than 1 tablespoon a day), sweets and pastries, whole fat cheese, and fried or fast food (less than a serving a week for any of the three).

Source of this article: MIND diet may slow brain from aging by 7.5 year