MIND diet linked to slower brain shrinkage
A twelve-year cohort study found an association, but does not prove the diet slows ageing.
People who adhered more closely to the so-called MIND diet showed, on average, less rapid changes in brain structure in a long-term study. The researchers found an association, not proof that the diet directly prevents brain ageing.
The study followed 1,647 participants from the Framingham Offspring cohort. Participants were followed for an average of 12.3 years and underwent MRI scans at several points. Their eating patterns were assessed using a MIND diet score, combining elements of the Mediterranean diet and the DASH diet.
A higher score was associated with a slower decline in total grey-matter volume. For every three-point difference on the diet scale, this amounted to an average of 0.279 cubic centimetres less decline per year. The researchers translated this statistically into roughly 20 per cent of the time effect, or a 2.5-year difference in brain ageing.
This concerns brain structure, not a directly measured improvement in memory, thinking ability or daily functioning. Participants chose their own diets. As a result, other differences between the groups, such as physical activity, income, education or general health, may partly explain why the MRI outcomes differed.
The study was published in a scientific journal and was therefore peer-reviewed. Independent experts nevertheless stress that a prospective cohort study cannot demonstrate a causal effect. An earlier randomised study of the MIND diet found no significant difference in cognitive outcomes between the diet groups after three years.
The results add evidence to research into nutrition and brain health, but do not suddenly change what is medically established. The research says nothing about an individual’s risk or about a treatment. Other studies are needed for that, including longer and better-controlled interventions.
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This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The figures and study design were checked against the publication. The text does not present the association as a proven treatment and explicitly mentions contradictory evidence from an earlier intervention study.
- confirmed The cohort study followed 1,647 participants for an average of 12.3 years. — These figures appear in the study publication. source
- confirmed A higher MIND score was associated with 0.279 cubic centimetres less grey-matter loss per year. — The reported estimate appears in the study’s results. source
- confirmed The study does not prove a causal effect. — This is stressed by independent experts at the Science Media Centre. source
Editor's note
The research is peer-reviewed and based on a long-term cohort study. The main uncertainty is causality: the study does not prove that the diet itself slows brain ageing.Sources
- Adherence to the MIND diet and longitudinal brain structural changes over a decade — Alzheimer’s & Dementia via PubMed Central
- Expert reaction to a prospective cohort study on the MIND diet — Science Media Centre
- Trial of the MIND Diet for Prevention of Cognitive Decline — PubMed
More on this in Dutch media
- RTL Nieuws — „mind-dieet hersenveroudering”
- NOS — „mind-dieet hersenveroudering”
- Het Parool — „mind-dieet hersenveroudering”