"The groundwork of all happiness is health." - Leigh Hunt

MIND weight-reduction plan slows cognitive decline, especially in two groups

September 19, 2024 – Older and middle-aged individuals who followed the MIND weight-reduction plan for not less than a yr had fewer and slower cognitive declinein comparison with individuals with a significantly different weight-reduction plan. According to the outcomes of a brand new study, the advantages were particularly pronounced in women and black people.

In older individuals with cognitive decline, pondering, memory, concentration and other brain functions develop into tougher than expected because of the aging process.

The official name of the MIND weight-reduction plan is Mediterranean DASH intervention to delay neurodegenerative diseasesand its goal is to support healthy aging of the brain. MIND weight-reduction plan recommends the consumption of nine foods: whole grains, vegetables, especially green leafy vegetables, nuts, beans, berries, poultry, fish and olive oil. The weight-reduction plan also includes limiting the consumption of pastries, sweets, beef, cheese, fried foods and butter or margarine.

“Given the number of people with dementia As cognitive abilities increase with the aging population, it is critical to find changes we can make to delay or slow the development of cognitive problems,” said study writer Russell P. Sawyer, MD, of the University of Cincinnati in Ohio in a opinion.

For this latest study, researchers used questionnaire responses from people detailing what they’d eaten prior to now yr. The study's data got here from a separate project geographic and racial differences in stroke risk. Study participants were 45 and older, with a mean age of 64. They all took standard cognitive tests that included being asked to repeat three words to an interviewer and to say the yr, month and day of the week.

The Results published in the most recent issue of neurologythe medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The evaluation showed that folks who followed the MIND weight-reduction plan most closely had a lower risk of cognitive decline overall. The researchers also found that ladies who followed the weight-reduction plan most closely had as much as a 6% lower risk of cognitive problems, while men didn’t experience a corresponding decline.

The team also checked out whether the weight-reduction plan might affect how quickly cognitive function modified. They found that folks who followed the MIND weight-reduction plan closely showed a slower decline. The impact was biggest in black individuals who followed the weight-reduction plan closely.

“These findings require further study, particularly to examine the differential effects in men and women and blacks and whites. However, it is exciting to consider that people could make some simple changes to their diet and potentially reduce or delay their risk of cognitive problems,” Sawyer said.