ISLAMABAD, MARCH 23 (ONLINE): Adherence to a MIND diet is associated with a lower incidence of dementia and mortality in a new study.
\nThe MIND diet is based on the Mediterranean and DASH diets, and emphasizes plant-based foods, fish and poultry, with little in the way of saturated fats and sugars.<\/p>\n
The study utilized the DunedinPACE methylation clock, which indicated that the bodies of people most closely following a MIND diet were wearing down more slowly.
\nA new study from Columbia University in New York suggests that eating a healthy diet can slow the effects of aging on the human body, including on the brain.<\/p>\n
The right diet could, in effect, slow down the pace of brain aging, reducing the risk of dementia, suggests the study.
\nThere are several epigenetic clocks researchers use to track the speed of a person\u2019s biological aging process. They measure the state of various key indicators in the body. This study used the DunedinPACE clock developed in part by a senior author of the study, Dr. Daniel Belsky, PhD.<\/p>\n
Working with data from 1,644 dementia-free participants who had enrolled in the Framingham Offspring Cohort study, the researchers scored each individual\u2019s long-term adherence to a MIND diet. Participants were 60 years old or older, had a mean age of 69.6 years, and 54% were female.<\/p>\n
After 14 years, 140 people developed dementia and 471 had died. The researchers found that people who most closely followed a MIND diet had a slower DunedinPACE clock rating, with a reduced risk of dementia or dying.<\/p>\n
Further analysis revealed that a slower DunedinPACE clock was linked to 27% of the association between diet and dementia, and 57% of the link between diet and mortality.<\/p>\n
The study is published in the Annals of NeurologyTrusted Source.<\/p>\n
What is the DunedinPACE Clock?
\nIn developing the DunedinPACE clock, Belsky collaborated with colleagues at Duke University and the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand.<\/p>\n
Dr. Menka Gupta, MBBS, a certified functional medicine practitioner at Nutra Nourish, who was not involved in the study, described it as \u201ca DNA methylation biomarker of the pace of aging.\u201d<\/p>\n
DNA methylation is a critical biochemical process in the body that deteriorates with age, offering one way to assess the pace of an individual\u2019s biological aging process. As a biomarker of DNA methylation that occurs throughout the body, the DunedinPACE clock assesses multi-system biological aging.<\/p>\n
\u201c[DunedinPACE] estimates the pace of biological aging over time and has shown high test-retest reliability,\u201d said Gupta. \u201cIt is recognized for its ability to predict longitudinal pace of aging effectively.\u201d<\/p>\n
Belsky explained how the clock works in greater detail, recalling that \u201cDunedinPACE was developed by studying changes in 19 indicators of the integrity of several different systems in the body:cardiovascular, hepatic, renal, pulmonary, periodontal, immune, metabolic, [and] endocrine.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said DunedinPACE acts \u201clike a speedometer for the aging process, summarizing the overall rate of change across these systems.\u201d<\/p>\n
Slower DunedinPACE values, Belsky said, \u201creflect better preservation of organ system integrity during the aging process.\u201d A slower DunedinPACE rate means less accumulation of aging-based molecular damage at the cellular level.<\/p>\n
Clocks can not, however, solve the basic mystery of how or why we age, noted Belsky: \u201cWork to establish exactly where the aging process we measure originates \u2014 cellular changes that affect organs or organ-level changes reflected in cellular phenotypes \u2014 is ongoing.\u201d<\/p>\n
In addition, as a system that measures multi-system aging, DunedinPACE \u2014 and the study \u2014 do not pinpoint specific nutrients in the MIND diet that may promote healthy cognition.<\/p>\n
How the MIND diet supports brain health
\nFirst author of the new study, Dr. Aline Thomas, PhD, described how the MIND diet was formulated specifically for reducing dementia in 2015.<\/p>\n
Thomas collaborated with one of the study\u2019s other authors, Dr. Yian Gu, MD, MS, PhD in providing comments to Medical News Today. They noted that:<\/p>\n
\u201cCombining key principles from two healthy diets \u2014 i.e., the Mediterranean diet and DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet, the MIND diet emphasizes high intake of neuroprotective foods such as fish, green leafy vegetables, berries, and nuts, while minimizing intake of red meat, butter, [and] sweets.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas and Gu added that the study also found an association between the Mediterranean diet and the Dietary Guideline Adherence Index \u2014 another gauge of healthy eating \u2014 and a slower pace of aging, \u201csuggesting that a generally healthy and balanced diet is beneficial for systemic biological aging and cognitive aging.\u201d<\/p>\n
MIND diet lowers brain inflammation
\nCognitive health and dementias such as Alzheimer\u2019s disease appear to be complicated and likely multifactorial, so eating the right foods must be viewed as part of a prevention strategy, but not necessarily an entire one.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe MIND diet,\u201d said Gupta, \u201chelps in reducing inflammation, improving metabolic health, and supporting heart and brain health.\u201d She explained that \u201cdiets high in omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants are crucial for reducing neuroinflammation and oxidative stress, both of which are implicated in cognitive decline and neurodegenerative diseases.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt has been shown,\u201d added Thomas, \u201cthat omega-3 fatty acids are incorporated in neural membranes and implicated in synaptic plasticity and hippocampal neurogenesis, and some polyphenols have anti-amyloid and anti-tau properties.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDiets high in saturated fats and sugars, on the other hand,\u201d said Gupta, \u201ccan exacerbate neuroinflammation and contribute to insulin resistance in the brain, which is linked to cognitive decline.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas noted that \u201c[t]he MIND diet provides key nutrients for brain health: long-chain omega-3 fatty acids with anti-inflammatory and vasoprotective properties, polyphenols which are antioxidants, as well as phenolic compounds, vitamins E and B, sphingolipids or choline with properties against amyloidogenesis, oxidative stress, or inflammation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Finally, noted Gupta, a diet rich in fiber promotes healthy gut microbiota, which can benefit the gut-brain axis.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ISLAMABAD, MARCH 23 (ONLINE): Adherence to a MIND diet is associated with a lower incidence of dementia and mortality in a new study. The MIND diet is based on the Mediterranean and DASH diets, and emphasizes plant-based foods, fish and poultry, with little in the […]<\/p>\n
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