Research

Mixed

Higher adherence to Mediterranean, DASH, or MIND dietary patterns is associated with less cognitive decline and a lower risk of Alzheimer's disease in adults aged 40 and older.

Adopt a dietary pattern rich in plant-based foods, healthy fats (like olive oil), and lean proteins. The MIND diet, which emphasizes berries and leafy greens, shows the strongest association with reduced Alzheimer's risk. Consistency in high adherence to these patterns is key for cognitive protection.

GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
current scientific evidence suggests that higher adherence to the Mediterranean, DASH, or MIND diets is associated with less cognitive decline and a lower risk of AD, where the strongest associations are observed for the MIND diet.
Annelien C. van den Brink et al. · Advances in Nutrition · 2019

Why this rating

Based on a systematic review of 56 studies (observational and trials), though mostly observational, with consistent findings across multiple cohorts.

Source

The Mediterranean, Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH), and Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay (MIND) Diets Are Associated with Less Cognitive Decline and a Lower Risk of Alzheimer’s Disease—A Review

Annelien C. van den Brink et al. · Advances in Nutrition · 2019

DOI 10.1093/advances/nmz054

systematic_reviewCited 560×
Read the paper
DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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