MIND and the Mediterranean diet associated with reduced plaques and tangles in Alzheimer’s disease

summary: People who follow a MIND or Mediterranean diet rich in leafy greens, olive oil, nuts and fish have fewer amyloid plaques and tau tangles in their brains than those who follow a conventional diet.

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People who ate a diet rich in green leafy vegetables, other vegetables, fruits, whole grains, olive oil, beans, nuts and fish were found to have higher levels of amyloid plaques and tau tangles in the brain, a sign of Alzheimer’s disease. less likely. Don’t eat like that, according to a study published online on March 8, 2023. neurology.

This study looked at how closely people followed the MIND and Mediterranean diets. The MIND Diet prioritizes green leafy vegetables such as spinach, kale, collard greens, and other vegetables.

The MIND Diet recommends prioritizing berries over other fruits and eating at least one serving of fish per week. Both the MIND and Mediterranean diets recommend small amounts of wine.

The study shows a link between regular consumption of these diets and fewer plaques and tangles in Alzheimer’s disease, but does not establish a causal relationship.

“These results are exciting. Improving people’s diets in just one area, such as eating six or more servings of leafy green vegetables a week or avoiding fried foods, can reduce amyloid plaques in the brain, “It was just as relevant to being about 4 years old as being young,” said study author Puja Agarwal, Ph.D., of RUSH University in Chicago. Although it hasn’t been proven to lead to a reduction in brain deposits of amyloid plaques, also known as amyloid plaques, we do know there is a connection, and following a Mediterranean diet with your mind is one way people can do it. May improve brain health and protect cognition as we age.”

The study involved 581 people with a mean age of 84 years at the time of dietary assessment who agreed to donate their brains at death to advance dementia research. Participants completed an annual questionnaire asking how much of different categories of food they ate.

Participants died on average 7 years after study initiation. Just prior to death, his 39% of participants had been diagnosed with dementia. At postmortem examination, 66% met criteria for Alzheimer’s disease.

At autopsy, researchers examined the brains of the participants to determine the amount of amyloid plaques and tau tangles. Both are found in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease, but they can also be found in the brains of older adults with normal cognitive function. The researchers then reviewed the dietary questionnaires collected during follow-up and ranked the quality of each person’s diet.

The Mediterranean diet had 11 food categories. Participants were given a score from 0 to 55, with higher scores if he adhered to a diet in categories such as whole grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes, olives, oils, fish and potatoes. They were given lower scores if they ate red meat, poultry, and full-fat dairy.

The MIND diet had 15 categories. Participants scored 1 point for each of 10 brain-healthy food groups, including green leafy vegetables, other vegetables, nuts, berries, beans, whole grains, fish, poultry, olive oil, and wine. was given a score of 15. They lost points if they ate more foods than recommended in five unhealthy food groups, including red meat, butter and margarine, cheese, pastries and sweets, and fried foods and fast foods.

The researchers then divided the participants into three groups by diet and compared the best and worst groups. For the Mediterranean diet, the highest group had a mean score of 35 and the lowest group had a mean score of 26. For the MIND diet, the highest group had an average score of 9 and the lowest group had an average score of 9. Score of 6.

After adjusting for age at death, gender, education, total calorie intake, and whether or not they had the gene associated with an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease, the researchers found the highest score for adhering to the Mediterranean diet. found that those who scored had an average amount of plaques and tangles in their brains, the same as being 18 years younger than those with the lowest scores. The researchers also found that people who scored the highest on MIND Diet adherence had similar amounts of plaque and tangles to those who scored the lowest, on average 12 years younger. bottom.

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A 1-point higher MIND diet score corresponded to typical plaque burden in participants 4.25 years younger.

Looking at a single dietary component, researchers found that those who ate the most green leafy vegetables, or who ate seven or more servings per week, had nearly 19 more plaques in their brains than those who ate the least. I discovered that I was young. Or fewer servings per week.

“Our finding that eating more green leafy vegetables is itself associated with fewer signs of Alzheimer’s disease in the brain suggests that people may consider adding more of these vegetables to their diet. “Future studies are needed to further establish our findings.”

A limitation of this study was that most of the participants were white, non-Hispanic, and elderly, so the results could not be generalized to other populations.

Funding: This study was funded by the National Institutes of Health.

About this diet and Alzheimer’s research news

author: Natalie Conrad
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contact: Natalie Conrad – ON
image: image is public domain

Original research: Findings are displayed in: neurology