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   DIR Return to: DIET AND NUTRITION
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       #Post#: 897--------------------------------------------------
       MIND diet may slow cognitive decline of aging
   DIR By: agate
       Date: August 13, 2015, 6:49 pm
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       Another diet to consider! The MIND diet is a combination of the
       DASH diet and the Mediterranean diet.
       From DG News, August 4, 2015:
       --- Quote ---
       > MIND Diet May Slow Brain From Aging by 7.5 Years
       >
       > While cognitive abilities naturally diminish as part of the
       normal aging process, it may be possible to take a bite out of
       this expected decline. Eating a group of specific foods known as
       the Mediterranean-DASH Diet Intervention for Neurodegenerative
       Delay (MIND) diet may slow cognitive decline among aging adults,
       even when the person is not at risk of developing Alzheimer's
       disease.
       >
       > The finding, published online in the journal Alzheimer's &
       Dementia, is in addition to a previous study by the same
       research team that found that the MIND diet may reduce a
       person's risk in developing Alzheimer's disease.
       >
       > The recent study shows that older adults who followed the MIND
       diet more rigorously showed an equivalent of being 7.5 years
       younger cognitively than those who followed the diet least.
       >
       > As the name suggests, the MIND diet is a hybrid of the
       Mediterranean and DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension)
       diets. Both diets have been found to reduce the risk of
       cardiovascular conditions, like hypertension, myocardial
       infarctions, and stroke.
       >
       > Martha Clare Morris, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago,
       Illinois, and colleagues evaluated cognitive change over a
       period of 4.7 years among 960 older adults who were free of
       dementia on enrolment. Averaging 81.4 years in age, the study
       participants also were part of the Rush Memory and Aging
       Project, a study of residents 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 5 areas: episodic
       memory, working memory, semantic memory, visuospatial ability,
       and perceptual speed. The study group also completed annual food
       frequency questionnaires, allowing the researchers to compare
       participants’ reported adherence to the MIND diet with changes
       in their cognitive abilities as measured by the tests.
       >
       > “Everyone experiences decline with aging, and Alzheimer's
       disease is now the sixth leading cause of death in the United
       States, which accounts for 60% to 80% of dementia cases,” said
       Morris. “Therefore, prevention of cognitive decline, the
       defining feature of dementia, is now more important than ever.
       Delaying dementia's onset by just 5 years can reduce the cost
       and prevalence by nearly half.”
       >
       > The MIND diet has 15 dietary components, including 10
       “brain-healthy food groups” and 5 unhealthy groups: red meat,
       butter and stick margarine, cheese, pastries and sweets, and
       fried or fast food.
       >
       > To adhere to and benefit from the MIND diet, a person would
       need to eat at least 3 servings of whole grains, a green leafy
       vegetable and one other vegetable every day -- along with a
       glass of wine -- 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.
       >
       > In addition, the study found that to have a real shot at
       avoiding the devastating effects of cognitive decline, he or she
       must limit intake of the designated unhealthy foods, especially
       butter (<1 tablespoon a day), sweets and pastries, whole fat
       cheese, and fried or fast food (< 1 a week for any).
       >
       > Berries are the only fruit specifically to be included in the
       MIND diet. “Blueberries are one of the more potent foods in
       terms of protecting the brain,” said Morris. Strawberries also
       have performed well in past studies of the effect of food on
       cognitive function.
       >
       > “The MIND diet modifies the Mediterranean and DASH diets to
       highlight the foods and nutrients shown through the scientific
       literature to be associated with dementia prevention,” said
       Morris. “There is still a great deal of study we need to do in
       this area, and I expect that we'll make further modifications as
       the science on diet and the brain advances.”
       >
       > SOURCE: Rush University Medical Center
       --- End Quote ---
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