- Eating foods rich in antioxidants could cut your risk of getting Alzheimer’s
- Dietitians suggest eating wholegrains, fruits and vegetables for a healthy brain
It’s a cruel disease that affects millions of people across the world.
But four in 10 dementia cases can be prevented through lifestyle changes, such as healthy eating, getting enough exercise and good quality sleep, according to experts.
In a bid to reduce rates of dementia, US researchers created a diet that has been shown to preserve brain health and slash the risk of the memory-robbing disease.
The MIND diet is packed with fish, pulses and veggies, which is thought to delay and limit decline in cognitive function.
Here, MailOnline breaks down what foods you should be including in your diet to keep your brain healthy.
Tracy Parker, Heart Health dietician at the British Heart Foundation has devised a meal plan that follows the MIND diet. She recommends a breakfast of porridge, lentil salad for lunch and a fish pie for dinner
The best way to avoid dementia and Alzheimer’s is to eat healthy food, take regular exercise, not smoke and maintain normal blood pressure and cholesterol levels
Researchers at Rush University in Chicago identified the MIND in 2015, which is a combination of the Mediterranean diet and the DASH diet.
The Mediterranean diet highlights the importance of wholegrains, fruits and vegetables, fish and pulses, while the DASH focuses on reducing salt intake.
Tracy Parker, heart health dietician at the British Heart Foundation (BHF), said: ‘Both diets are backed by lots of research showing they can help your heart health, and some evidence to suggest they can contribute to lower levels of mental decline.’
But the MIND diet has shown even greater effects than either diet alone.
Dr Martha Clare Morris and colleagues at Rush University Medical Center and the Harvard Chan School of Public Health, followed a group of more than 1,000 older adults who were free of dementia for nine years.
They developed a MIND diet score based on foods that seemed to protect against dementia and cognitive decline. Those with the highest MIND score had the slowest rate of cognitive decline.
The diet involves eating at least three services of wholegrains, such as oats, quinoa and brown rice, every day.
Those following it will also need to consume a minimum of six portions of leafy green vegetables, five servings of nuts, four of beans and two of berries.
Ms Parker said: ‘Berries such as strawberries, blueberries and blackberries also have many brain protective benefits.’
At least two servings of poultry and one of fish is recommended.
Meanwhile, red meat, fried food and sweets should be avoided.
Experts say these foods contain high levels of antioxidants, which help protect against some of the damage to brain cells which is associated with dementia.
They can also increase the levels of proteins in the brain that protect brain cells from this damage, says Alzheimer’s Society.
The diet is low in cholesterol, which recent research has suggested may be associated with memory and thinking problems.
Dementia is linked with an abnormal build-up of proteins in the brain, called amyloid and tau.
When these toxic proteins build-up in the brain, the organ launches an inflammatory response to keep the damage at bay.
But diets such as MIND, which are packed with vegetables and fruit high in antioxidants, can reduce inflammation, according to Harvard School of Public Health.
The diet, recommended by Ms Parker, contains vitamins such as vitamin C, E and beta-carotene, which all act as antioxidants.
These antioxidants help prevent disruption and damage caused by free-radicals, which contribute to brain ageing, according to the Alzheimer’s Society.
Although they are not always harmful, they can damage proteins, DNA, cell membranes and cause tissue damage and inflammation.
The charity says the brains of people with Alzheimer’s have higher levels of natural antioxidants which are thought to be responsible for ‘clearing up’ excess free radicals, suggesting the brain is trying to combat damage.
So, therefore eating more antioxidants can help battle free radicles and prevent damage, experts say.
Studies of the diet in people living in retirement communities suggest that those who most closely follow it have brains that are equivalent to seven-and-a-half years youngers compared to those who don’t.
Although it could have brain boosting powers there is not enough research yet for the MIND diet to be part of national dietary guidelines, says Ms Parker.
She said: ‘We need further studies to refine the specific foods and quantities included.’
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