A new study from RUSH University in Chicago has found that eating a diet rich in green leafy vegetables, along with other healthy foods like fruits, whole grains, olive oil, beans, nuts, and fish, may reduce signs of Alzheimer’s disease in the brain.
The research, published in the journal Neurology, focused on how closely people followed the MIND and Mediterranean diets and their potential benefits for brain health.
The Mediterranean diet includes vegetables, fruits, and at least three servings of fish per week.
The MIND diet emphasizes green leafy vegetables such as spinach, kale, and collard greens, as well as other vegetables. It also prioritizes berries over other fruits and suggests consuming fish at least once a week. Both diets recommend drinking small amounts of wine.
The study involved 581 participants, who were on average 84 years old at the time they reported their diets. These participants agreed to donate their brains for dementia research after their death.
They filled out yearly questionnaires detailing how much they ate of different foods. On average, the participants died seven years after the study began, with 66% meeting the criteria for Alzheimer’s disease upon examination of their brains.
The researchers discovered that people who closely followed the Mediterranean and MIND diets had fewer amyloid plaques and tau tangles in their brains, which are signs of Alzheimer’s disease.
However, the study only showed a link between these diets and fewer Alzheimer’s disease markers; it did not prove that the diets directly caused the reduction in plaques and tangles.
One of the most notable findings was that people who ate the most green leafy vegetables (seven or more servings per week) had brain plaque amounts comparable to individuals nearly 19 years younger who ate the fewest leafy greens (one or fewer servings per week).
This suggests that a diet rich in green leafy vegetables and other healthy foods like fruits, whole grains, olive oil, beans, nuts, and fish may benefit brain health and help protect against cognitive decline as people age.
Although these results are promising, further research is needed to confirm the findings and better understand the relationship between diet and Alzheimer’s disease.
If you are concerned about Alzheimer’s, there are also studies indicating that a blood test can predict dementia and Alzheimer’s up to five years early, and that a year of certain exercise training may reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s.
For those interested in more information, other recent studies have explored the potential benefits of coconut oil for improving cognitive function in Alzheimer’s patients and how strawberries might help prevent the disease. This study was led by Puja Agarwal and published in Neurology.
If you care about Alzheimer’s disease, please read studies about the protective power of dietary antioxidants against Alzheimer’s, and eating habits linked to higher Alzheimer’s risk.
For more health information, please see recent studies that ,and Olive oil: a daily dose for better brain health.
