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A diet combining elements of the Mediterranean diet with an eating plan designed to lower blood pressure may help slow age-related changes in brain structure, potentially delaying certain signs of brain aging by 2.5 years, according to new research.
The study, published online in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry, found that greater adherence to the MIND diet was associated with slower loss of gray matter and less enlargement of the brain’s ventricles, fluid-filled spaces that expand as brain tissue shrinks. The findings are based on long-term observations rather than a clinical trial, meaning the diet has not been proven to directly cause these benefits.
The MIND diet combines the Mediterranean diet with the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) eating plan. It emphasizes leafy greens, vegetables, berries, nuts, whole grains, fish, beans, olive oil, and poultry while recommending limits on red meat, sweets, cheese, butter, and fried fast foods.
Researchers examined 1,647 middle-aged and older adults from the Framingham Heart Study Offspring cohort. Participants had an average age of 60 at the beginning of the study and underwent repeated brain MRI scans between 1999 and 2019. Their dietary habits were assessed using food frequency questionnaires.
Over an average follow-up period of 12 years, participants experienced typical age-related changes in brain structure. However, those with higher MIND diet scores showed slower gray matter loss. Every three-point increase in the diet score was associated with 20% less gray matter decline, equivalent to approximately 2.5 years of delayed brain aging.
Higher scores were also linked to slower enlargement of the brain’s ventricles, corresponding to an estimated one-year delay in this structural change.
Certain foods showed particularly notable associations. Greater berry consumption was linked to slower ventricular enlargement, while poultry intake was associated with slower ventricular growth and gray matter loss. In contrast, higher consumption of sweets was linked to faster ventricular enlargement and greater shrinkage of the hippocampus, a brain region essential for memory.
Some findings were unexpected. Higher whole-grain intake was associated with several unfavorable structural changes, while cheese consumption was linked to more favorable outcomes. These associations do not establish that either food caused the observed effects.
The researchers cautioned that the observational study cannot prove cause and effect. Dietary questionnaires can be inaccurate, and the predominantly White study population limits how widely the findings can be generalized.
Nevertheless, the results suggest that dietary choices may play a role in preserving brain structure as people age, particularly when combined with physical activity and other healthy lifestyle habits.
