- Eating styles like the Mediterranean diet and MIND diet may help stave off Alzheimer's, researchers say.
- People who more closely followed the diets had "younger" brains with fewer signs of the disease.
Eating more leafy greens, olive oil and other foods common on a Mediterranean diet could help keep your brain younger and may stave off Alzheimer's disease, according to new research.
Researchers from Rush University Medical Center looked at data from 581 older adults (averaging 84 years old) who had their eating habits assessed, based on how closely they followed a Mediterranean diet. The diet, based on traditional eating patterns in regions of Greece, Italy, and Spain, is rich in leafy greens, olive oil, fish, nuts, and legumes.
When the participants died, an average of seven years after the study began, they donated their brains for testing. The research team examined the brains for amyloid plaques and tangles of tau protein, both signs of Alzheimer's disease.
They found that 66% of participants met the criteria for Alzheimer's disease, while only 39% had been diagnosed with the condition before they died.
Participants who had most closely followed a Mediterranean diet during the study were almost 40% less likely to have been diagnosed, and showed significantly fewer signs of cognitive decline. Their brains were the equivalent of 18 years younger than people who ate the fewest Mediterranean-style foods, according to the researchers.
They found similar benefits linked to the MIND diet, which is also loaded with veggies, nuts, whole grains, and emphasizes antioxidant-rich fruits like berries.
Previous research has linked the Mediterranean diet to benefits like healthier aging, lower inflammation, and less cognitive decline.
The new findings, published March 8 in the journal Neurology, suggest that eating more vegetables, whole grains, nuts, fruit, and olive oil could be a significant factor in protecting brain health as we age.
Small shifts to healthier habits could add up over time, according to Puja Agarwal, lead author of the study and Rush university
"Improvement in people's diets in just one area—such as eating more than six servings of green leafy vegetables per week, or not eating fried foods—was associated with fewer amyloid plaques in the brain similar to being about four years younger," Agarwal said in a press release.
While the research doesn't directly show that eating more vegetables and other healthy foods can cause reduced risk of Alzheimer's, the results are promising enough that it's worth a try, the evidence suggests. Adding more leafy greens to the diet seems particularly promising: study participants who ate the most servings of leafy greens had a brain age about 19 years younger than participants who ate the fewest.
"Our finding that eating more green leafy vegetables is in itself associated with fewer signs of Alzheimer's disease in the brain is intriguing enough for people to consider adding more of these vegetables to their diet," Agarwal said.