Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2019 Nov 1;10(6):1040-1065.
doi: 10.1093/advances/nmz054.

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  1 , Elske M Brouwer-Brolsma  1 , Agnes A M Berendsen  1 , Ondine van de Rest  1
Affiliations

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. Adv Nutr. .

Abstract

As there is currently no cure for dementia, there is an urgent need for preventive strategies. The current review provides an overview of the existing evidence examining the associations of the Mediterranean, Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH), and Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay (MIND) diets and their dietary components with cognitive decline, dementia, and Alzheimer's disease (AD). A systematic search was conducted within Ovid Medline for studies published up to 27 March 2019 and reference lists from existing reviews and select articles were examined to supplement the electronic search results. In total, 56 articles were included. Higher adherence to the Mediterranean diet was associated with better cognitive scores in 9 of 12 cross-sectional studies, 17 of 25 longitudinal studies, and 1 of 3 trials. Higher adherence to the DASH diet was associated with better cognitive function in 1 cross-sectional study, 2 of 5 longitudinal studies, and 1 trial. Higher adherence to the MIND diet was associated with better cognitive scores in 1 cross-sectional study and 2 of 3 longitudinal studies. Evidence on the association of these dietary patterns with dementia in general was limited. However, higher adherence to the Mediterranean diet was associated with a lower risk of AD in 1 case-control study and 6 of 8 longitudinal studies. Moreover, higher adherence to the DASH or MIND diets was associated with a lower AD risk in 1 longitudinal study. With respect to the components of these dietary patterns, olive oil may be associated with less cognitive decline. In conclusion, 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.

Keywords: Alzheimer's disease; DASH; MIND; Mediterranean; cognition; cognitive decline; dementia; dietary components; dietary patterns; nutrition.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Flow diagram of the identified and screened studies on the Mediterranean, DASH, and MIND diets and their dietary components in relation to cognitive decline, dementia, or AD.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. WHO. Global Health Observatory (GHO) data: top 10 causes of death. 2017[last accessed 19 Feb 2018]. Available from: http://www.who.int/gho/mortality_burden_disease/causes_death/top_10/en/.
    1. Prince M, Wimo A, Guerchet M, Ali G-C, Wu Y-T, Prina M. World Alzheimer Report 2015: the global impact of dementia: an analysis of prevalence, incidence, cost and trends. London: Alzheimer's Disease International; 2015.
    1. Hurd MD, Martorell P, Delavande A, Mullen KJ, Langa KM. Monetary costs of dementia in the United States. N Engl J Med. 2013;368:1326–34. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Crichton GE, Bryan J, Murphy KJ. Dietary antioxidants, cognitive function and dementia - a systematic review. Plant Foods Hum Nutr. 2013;68:279–92. - PubMed
    1. Frank B, Gupta S.. A review of antioxidants and Alzheimer's disease. Ann Clin Psychiatry. 2005;17:269–86. - PubMed

Publication types