Research

Mixed

Adherence to Mediterranean (MD) and DASH dietary patterns is associated with slower cognitive decline and reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease, primarily through the inhibition of neuroinflammatory processes via anti-inflammatory nutrients like polyphenols and omega-3 fatty acids.

Adopt a Mediterranean or DASH-style diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and fish. This approach is more effective for cognitive health than taking isolated supplements because the combination of nutrients works synergistically to reduce brain inflammation.

ModerateSupportsMEDIUM confidence
Anti-inflammatory dietary patterns such as the Mediterranean diet (MD) and dietary approaches to stop hypertension (DASH) may be neuroprotective. Several dietary components consumed in the MD and DASH (omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants and polyphenols) can inhibit neuroinflammation associated with AD.
Andrea McGrattan et al. · Current Nutrition Reports · 2019

Why this rating

Evidence is largely observational with inconsistent RCT results; the paper notes 'data from human studies are lacking' for causal links.

Source

Diet and Inflammation in Cognitive Ageing and Alzheimer’s Disease

Andrea McGrattan et al. · Current Nutrition Reports · 2019

DOI 10.1007/s13668-019-0271-4

narrative_reviewCited 388×
Read the paper
DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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