Alzheimer's Disease Prevention Through 'Mind' Diet; How Does It Work?

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Researchers at Rush University Medical Center have developed a hybrid diet, which may help prevent Alzheimer's Disease. The study has been published online in the "Alzheimer's and Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association." 

According to News Max, the Rush University researchers have created the MIND diet, which could help fight the risk of Alzheimer's. MIND stands for Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay.  

The MIND diet is comprised of two different diets: the Mediterranean diet and DASH, which stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. Both diets that comprise MIND are well-known for reducing the risk of cardiovascular problems, reports Medical New Today.

However, some studies have also shown that both diets can help prevent dementia as well, which is probably why the researchers at Rush focused on the Mediterranean and DASH diets to create MIND. 

Medical Express states that the MIND diet includes 10 "brain-healthy" foods and 5 unhealthy foods. The brain-healthy food groups include green leafy vegetables, other vegetables, nuts, berries, beans , whole grains, fish, poultry, olive oil, and wine. While red meats, butter, stick margarine, cheese, pastries, sweets, and fried or fast food make up the unhealthy food groups. 

Martha Clare Morris, PHD, nutritional epidemiologist and her colleagues at Rush developed the diet. The study analyzed the food intake of 923 residents in Chicago, who were between the ages of 58 and 98, states Medical News Today. 

The participants were part of the Rush Memory and Aging Project - a study which focuses on identifying factors that can help protect cognitive health. The residents involved filled out questionnaires with their dietary information and were assessed for over 4.5 years.  

During the study, researchers compared the MIND, Mediterranean, and DASH diets. It was revealed that the Mediterranean diet lowered the risk of AD by 54%, while the DASH diet lowered it by 39%, reports Medical News Today. 

Meanwhile, Medical Express says that the MIND diet lowered the risk of AD by 53%. Take note that the Mediterranean diet has the higher percentage of risk prevention.  

However, the MIND diet might be easier to follow, making it the better option. Both the Mediterranean and DASH diets must be followed strictly in order to lower risk of Alzheimer's, states Medical News Today. On the other hand, the MIND diet still lowered risks by 35%, with participants who moderately adhered to it.  

According to Medical Express, Morris states, "One of the more exciting things about this is that people who adhered even moderately to the MIND diet had a reduction in their risk for AD. I think that it will motivate people."