New Study Finds Short-Term Benefits of the MIND Diet for Brain Health
A new study conducted by researchers from Rush University Medical Center has provided further evidence of the benefits of the MIND diet for brain health. The study, published in The New England Journal of Medicine, revealed that implementing changes in eating according to the MIND diet had a positive impact in the short term.
In the study, one group followed a healthy diet while another group followed the MIND diet. The researchers found that the MIND diet helped in the prevention of cognitive diseases and provided improvements in older people during the first two years.
The MIND diet is a hybrid of the Mediterranean and DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diets, with modifications geared toward evidence of the relationship between diet and dementia. It emphasizes natural foods of plant origin and limits foods of animal origin with a high content of saturated fats. It also puts special emphasis on green leafy vegetables and red fruits.
The study, which was the first randomized clinical trial designed to test the effects of the MIND diet on brain health among a large group of people 65 and older without cognitive impairment, showed improvements in cognition during the first two years. However, there was no statistically significant difference in the change in cognition between the MIND diet group and the control group after three years.
The researchers noted that more research is needed to confirm the effects of the MIND diet, particularly in relation to specific food groups and their associations with biomarkers. Nevertheless, the study provides more evidence that following the MIND diet can have a positive impact on brain health in the short term.
Overall, the results of this study support the importance of a healthy diet, such as the MIND diet, in maintaining cognitive health and reducing the risk of cognitive decline and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s.