With dementia diagnoses on the rise as the U.S. population grows older, many people are wondering what they can do to protect their brain health. A new study points to a surprisingly simple answer: your diet.
Researchers found that sticking to the MIND diet—a hybrid of the Mediterranean and DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diets—were significantly less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.
“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,” said paper author professor Song-Yi Park of the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
“This suggests that it is never too late to adopt a healthy diet to prevent dementia.”
An estimated 7.2 million Americans age 65 and older are living with Alzheimer’s dementia in 2025, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. But researchers have found that following this diet over ten years can reduce the risk by 25 percent.
What is the MIND Diet?
The MIND diet combines two powerful eating plans: the Mediterranean diet—known for its links to heart health and longer life—and the DASH diet, originally created to help reduce high blood pressure. MIND stands for Mediterranean–DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay.
This brain-focused diet emphasizes whole grains, leafy greens, berries, beans and nuts. It also encourages moderate intake of other vegetables, fish, seafood, poultry and olive oil. At the same time, it recommends limiting red meat, wine, fast food, fried foods, butter, margarine, pastries and sweets like candy.
The Study
The study analyzed data from nearly 93,000 U.S. adults as part of the Multiethnic Cohort Study. Participants, aged 45–75 at the start of the study in the 1990s, shared their dietary habits, and more than 21,000 went on to develop Alzheimer’s or related conditions in the decades that followed.
According to the study, those who followed the diet most closely had a nine percent lower risk of developing dementia overall. The effect was even more pronounced—around 13 percent—among African American, Latino and White participants.
“We found that the protective relationship between a healthy diet and dementia was more pronounced among African Americans, Latinos and Whites, while it was not as apparent among Asian Americans and showed a weaker trend in Native Hawaiians,” Park noted. “A tailored approach may be needed when evaluating different subpopulations’ diet quality.”
Significantly, the study also revealed that individuals who improved their adherence to the MIND diet over time experienced a 25 percent lower risk of dementia compared to those whose adherence declined. This trend held true across age and racial groups, reinforcing the potential benefits of making dietary changes at any point in life.
Researchers pointed out that cultural differences in dietary preferences may influence how effective the MIND diet is for different groups.
While Asian Americans generally have lower rates of dementia, their traditional diets may offer protective benefits not captured by the MIND framework. Park emphasized the need for future interventional research to confirm these observational findings and to explore more culturally adapted dietary approaches.
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Reference
Park, S.-Y., Setiawan, V. W., Crimmins, E., White, L., Haiman, C., Wilkens, L. R., Marchand, L. L., & Lim, U. (2025). The MIND Diet and Incidence of Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias Among Five Racial and Ethnic Groups in the Multiethnic Cohort Study. NUTRITION 2025, Orlando, Florida.
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