People who follow a MIND diet, even if started later in life, were significantly less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease or related forms of dementia, according to new research.

The MIND diet stands for "Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay" and combines many elements of the Mediterranean diet and DASH ("Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension"). It emphasizes brain-healthy foods like leafy greens, berries, nuts and olive oil.

The study, being presented Monday at the American Society for Nutrition's annual meeting, analyzed data from nearly 93,000 U.S. adults aged 45 to 75 starting in the 1990s.

Participants who closely followed a MIND diet had a 9% lower risk of dementia compared to those with low adherence to the diet. Those who improved their adherence to the diet over 10 years, including those who didn't follow the diet closely at first, had a 25% lower risk of dementia compared to those whose adherence declined.

"Our study findings confirm that healthy dietary patterns in mid to late life and their improvement over time may prevent Alzheimer's and related dementias," Song-Yi Park, an associate professor at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, said in a news release. "This suggests that it is never too late to adopt a healthy diet to prevent dementia."

An estimated 7.2 million Americans are living with Alzheimer's, the most common form of dementia, according to the Alzheimer's Association. This study joins previous research that has highlighted the benefits of eating a plant-focused diet to prevent the progressive brain disorder.

A 2023 study published in the online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, found that people who follow the Mediterranean or MIND diets may have fewer signs of Alzheimer's disease in their brain tissue.

"While our research doesn't prove that a healthy diet resulted in fewer brain deposits of amyloid plaques, also known as an indicator of Alzheimer's disease, we know there is a relationship and following the MIND and Mediterranean diets may be one way that people can improve their brain health and protect cognition as they age," study author Puja Agarwal of Rush University in Chicago, who holds a doctorate in human nutrition, said in a news release at the time.

Researchers found leafy greens appeared to be the biggest asset of the diets.

"People who ate the highest amounts of green leafy vegetables, or seven or more servings per week, had plaque amounts in their brains corresponding to being almost 19 years younger than people who ate the fewest, with one or fewer servings per week," the researchers said in the release.

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