A new diet could significantly reduce one's risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.
The "Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay" (MIND) diet was shown to have the ability to reduce Alzheimer's disease (AD) risk by as much as 53 percent for those who followed it meticulously, and 35 in those who followed it moderately well, Rush University Medical Center reported.
"One of the more exciting things about this is that people who adhered even moderately to the MIND diet had a reduction in their risk for AD," said Morris, a Rush professor, assistant provost for Community Research, and director of Nutrition and Nutritional Epidemiology. "I think that will motivate people."
The researchers created the diet after going through years' worth of research on what foods have an influence of AD risk. It is a "hybrid" of the Mediterranean and DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diets.
The diet is composed of 15 dietary components including "green leafy vegetables, other vegetables, nuts, berries, beans, whole grains, fish, poultry, olive oil and wine," the medical center reported.
With the MIND diet, followers are instructed to eat at least three servings of whole grains, a salad, and one other vegetable every day. They are also told to have a daily glass of wine and to snack on nuts most days and beans every other day. They should have poultry and berries at least twice a week and fish once a week. They are urged to limit their intake of butter, cheese, and fried or fast foods.
"Blueberries are one of the more potent foods in terms of protecting the brain," Morris said,
The study looked at a total of 923 volunteers and a total of 144 cases of AD in a cohort. The researchers noted the findings need to be confirmed by future studies.
The findings were reported in a recent edition of the The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association.
