It’s never too late to eat your way to a healthier mind: Study

A new study has found the MIND diet can help protect the brain from Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia, reducing some people’s risk by up to 25%. — Image credit: Getty Images

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Summary

Eating for brain health

A new study has found the MIND diet can help protect the brain from Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia, reducing some people’s risk by up to 25%.

Age is just a number

Researchers specifically studied Americans between the ages of 45 and 75 and found that no matter when the MIND diet is started, it still lowered a person’s dementia risk.

Diagnoses on the rise

Diagnoses of Alzheimer’s and dementia have been steadily rising in the past decades, and the number of Americans diagnosed each year is expected to double by 2060.

Full story

New research shows the aptly named MIND diet can help protect the brain from Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia, no matter when it is started. The MIND diet combines the ever-popular Mediterranean diet with the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet,” which is meant to help lower blood pressure.

A newly released study by the University of Hawaii Mānoa and the University of Southern California shows that switching to the MIND diet significantly decreases the chances of developing Alzheimer’s or dementia — even in those middle-aged or older.

Impacts of the MIND diet

The study analyzed data from nearly 93,000 American adults aged 45 to 75, beginning in the 1990s. Based on this data, researchers found those who closely followed the MIND diet had a 9% lower chance of getting dementia than those who didn’t.

While experts already knew about the link between eating a plant-based diet and lower chances of getting dementia, but they didn’t know switching to the diet at any age could still be highly beneficial in that way. The new study found the risk of dementia for those who improved their adherence to the MIND diet over 10 years, even if they didn’t follow the diet closely at first, dropped 25%.

“This suggests that it is never too late to adopt a healthy diet to prevent dementia,” Song-Yi Park, one of the study’s authors, said in a news release.

Alzheimer’s and dementia on the rise

Diagnoses of Alzheimer’s and dementia have been steadily rising in the past decades, and another recent study indicates it’s only getting worse.

The study found the number of Americans diagnosed with dementia every year is expected to double by 2060, jumping from 514,000 per year in 2020 to 1 million. It also estimates that 42% of all people 55 and older will develop the disease.

The Alzheimer’s Association estimates 7.2 million Americans are currently living with Alzheimer’s, which is the most common form of dementia.

How do I follow the MIND diet?

While all plant-based Mediterranean-related diets appear to be beneficial for the brain, the MIND diet was specifically designed to promote brain health. Here’s what it suggests eating:

6+ servings of leafy greens per week
Plus, one serving per day of other vegetables
5+ servings of nuts per week
3+ servings of whole grains a day
5+ servings of fish (not fried) per week
<5 servings of pastries or sweets a week

It also suggests limiting cheese, red meat and fast-fried foods to less than one serving per week.

Shianne DeLeon (Video Editor) and Mathew Grisham (Digital Producer) contributed to this report.

Tags: Alzheimer’s, Alzheimer’s Association, California, Dementia, Fast food, food, Hawaii, Health, Mediterranean, Research, Study

[Kennedy Felton]

THINK IT’S TOO LATE TO CHANGE YOUR LIFE BY SWITCHING YOUR DIET?

THIS COULD CHANGE YOUR MIND.

NEW RESEARCH SHOWS THE APTLY-NAMED “MIND DIET” HELP PROTECT YOUR BRAIN – EVEN IF STARTED LATER IN LIFE.

THE MIND DIET COMBINES THE EVER-POPULAR MEDITERRANEAN DIET WITH THE “DASH DIET” – WHICH IS MEANT TO HELP LOWER BLOOD PRESSURE.

AND A NEW STUDY BY THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII AND UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA SHOWS SWITCHING TO THE MIND DIET SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASES YOUR CHANCES OF DEVELOPING ALZHEIMER’S OR DEMENTIA – EVEN IN THOSE MIDDLE-AGED OR OLDER.

THE STUDY LOOKED AT DATA FROM NEARLY 93-THOUSAND AMERICAN ADULTS BETWEEN THE AGES OF 45 AND 75 – STARTING IN THE 90S.

BASED ON THAT DATA, RESEARCHERS FOUND THOSE WHO CLOSELY FOLLOWED THE MIND DIET HAD A 9 PERCENT LOWER CHANCE OF GETTING DEMENTIA THAN THOSE WHO DIDN’T – A LINK WE ALREADY KNEW ABOUT.

BUT – THEY ALSO FOUND THE RISK OF DEMENTIA FOR THOSE WHO IMPROVED THEIR ADHERENCE TO THE MIND DIET OVER 10 YEARS – EVEN IF THEY DIDN’T FOLLOW THE DIET CLOSELY AT FIRST – DROPPED 25 PERCENT.

SO, WHAT ARE THE MAIN COMPONENTS OF THE MIND DIET?

GETTING AT LEAST SIX SERVINGS PER WEEK OF LEAFY GREENS – THINGS LIKE BROCCOLI, KALE, AND SPINACH…

**PLUS** ONE SERVING **PER DAY** OF OTHER VEGETABLES…

FIVE OR MORE SERVINGS OF NUTS LIKE ALMONDS OR PISTACHIOS A WEEK…

AT LEAST THREE SERVINGS OF WHOLE GRAINS EACH DAY…

GETTING AT LEAST ONE SERVING OF FISH PER WEEK – THAT’S **NOT** FRIED…

AND LIMITING PASTRIES AND SWEETS TO FEWER THAN FIVE SERVINGS EVERY WEEK.

IT ALSO LIMITS EATING CHEESE, RED MEAT, AND FRIED FOODS TO LESS THAN ONE SERVING PER WEEK.

GIVES A NEW MEANING TO THE TERM “BRAIN FOOD.”

TO STAY UP TO DATE ON ALL THE LATEST INFO YOU NEED TO LIVE YOUR HEALTHIEST LIFE – MAKE SURE YOU DOWNLOAD THE STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS APP TODAY.

Why this story matters

New research indicates that adopting the MIND diet, even later in life, can lower the risk of developing Alzheimer’s and dementia, which is particularly relevant as rates of these conditions are expected to rise in the coming decades.

Diet and brain health

Scientific studies, such as the one by the University of Hawaii Mānoa and the University of Southern California, have shown that dietary choices like the MIND diet are linked to a reduced risk of developing dementia and Alzheimer’s.

Increasing dementia rates

Alzheimer’s and dementia diagnoses are projected to increase significantly in the coming decades, highlighting the need for effective prevention strategies.

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Synthesized coverage insights across 39 media outlets

Behind the numbers

The study analyzed data from nearly 93,000 U.S. adults, aged 45-75, collected since the 1990s. According to multiple sources, 21,000 participants developed dementia. Individuals who adhered closely to the MIND diet had a 9% lower risk of developing dementia, and improving adherence over 10 years resulted in a 25% lower risk, demonstrating potential real-world benefits for brain health.

Debunking

While many articles highlight the association between the MIND diet and lower dementia risk, most caution that these findings are observational and do not prove causation. As stated by multiple researchers, more interventional studies are needed to confirm whether following the diet directly prevents dementia rather than simply being correlated with other healthy lifestyle factors.

Quote bank

"Our study findings confirm that healthy dietary patterns in mid to late life and their improvement over time may prevent Alzheimer’s and related dementias… it is never too late to adopt a healthy diet to prevent dementia," said Song-Yi Park, associate professor at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. "It adds to the evidence that a Mediterranean-type diet has important benefits for reducing the risk of dementia," stated Dr. Walter Willett of Harvard.

Sources

Bias comparison

Media outlets on the left framed the MIND diet as a proactive, nearly transformative solution, using emphatic language like “cut your Alzheimer’s risk by half” and highlighting biological evidence such as fewer amyloid plaques to underscore the diet’s preventive power and societal importance.
Media outlets in the center adopted a cautious, measured tone focusing on statistical risk reductions and demographic nuances without dramatic claims.
Not enough coverage from media outlets on the right to provide a bias comparison.

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Media landscape

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39 total sources

Key points from the Left

People over 45 following the MIND diet had a significantly lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s or related dementias, according to a study by Dr. Song-Yi Park and colleagues.
Those who adhered closely to the MIND diet had a 9% lower risk of dementia, with a 25% lower risk for those improving their adherence over 10 years.
The protective relationship between a healthy diet and dementia was more pronounced among African Americans, Latinos and whites, suggesting tailored dietary approaches may be necessary.
Dr. Park indicated that adopting a healthy diet can help prevent dementia, and it's never too late to start.

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No coverage from Far Left sources 0 sources
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- Caring for Gladine: A Las Cruces man’s account of caregiving for his wife with dementia
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Key points from the Center

Dr. Song-Yi Park and her team examined dietary information collected from over 90,000 U.S. adults aged between 45 and 75 beginning in the 1990s to investigate the connection between diet and the risk of developing dementia.
They investigated how adherence to the MIND diet influenced dementia risk, with the strongest effects varying across five racial groups including African Americans, Latinos, whites, Asian Americans and Native Hawaiians.
The study found participants with high MIND diet adherence had a 9% lower dementia risk, while African American, Latino and white groups saw about a 13% reduction, and those improving adherence over 10 years had a 25% lower risk.
These findings, presented at the 2025 American Society for Nutrition meeting in Orlando, suggest it is never too late to adopt a healthy diet to potentially reduce dementia risk across diverse populations.

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