The Mediterranean-Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay — also known as the MIND diet — is a hybrid of the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension diet (DASH) and Mediterranean diets that is specifically designed to prevent or slow the progression of cognitive decline and promote brain health. The MIND diet incorporates components of both diets, but also includes foods rich in certain vitamins, carotenoids, and flavonoids that are putatively associated with a lower risk for Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, and cognitive decline.
Specifically, the MIND diet comprises beneficial foods, including green leafy vegetables, other vegetables (e.g., green/red peppers, squash, carrots, broccoli, celery, potatoes, tomatoes, peas, beets, corn), berries, nuts, olive oil, whole grains, fish, beans, and poultry; and excludes detrimental foods, including butter/margarine, cheese, red meat and other processed meats, fried fast foods, and pastries and sweets. As with the DASH and Mediterranean diets, a small intake of wine (1 glass/day) is permitted and seen as healthful.[1]
In cohort studies, higher adherence to the MIND diet has been associated with a lower incidence of Alzheimer’s disease,[2][3] slower rates of cognitive decline,[1][4][5] and better global cognitive function.[6][7]
To date, only one long-term (3-year) randomized controlled study on the MIND diet has been conducted.[8] Results indicated that in older adults without cognitive impairment but with a family history of dementia, the MIND diet was no better than a standard calorie-restricted control diet for improving cognitive function. Similarly, there were no differences in MRI measures of white-matter hyperintensities, hippocampal volume, or total grey- and white-matter volumes between the MIND diet and control groups, suggesting that the MIND diet may not change brain structure or function over this period of time.