Avoid Cognitive Impairment Even If You Have Alzheimer’s

by

Avoid Cognitive Impairment Even If You Have Alzheimer’sFighting off Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia is as simple as loading up on 10 specific foods and avoiding other 5.

According to a new study in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, if you do this, you’ll avoid cognitive impairment even if your brain develops Alzheimer’s.

The MIND diet, developed by a research team led by Professor Martha Clare Morris at Rush University, blends elements of the Mediterranean and DASH diets, focusing on foods that support brain health.

Recently, another Rush University team analyzed data from the Rush Memory and Aging Project to see if this diet truly helps prevent Alzheimer’s disease.

In a unique study, researchers examined the brains of 569 elderly participants who had agreed to donate their brains for science.

Over the last decade of their lives, these participants completed yearly cognitive tests and food intake questionnaires.

This allowed researchers to evaluate their adherence to the MIND diet and its impact on cognitive health.

Takeaways:

1. Improved Cognitive Skills: Participants who followed the MIND diet closely scored higher in memory and thinking tests.

2. Resilience Against Brain Pathologies: Many participants showed physical signs of Alzheimer’s (like amyloid beta plaques) but did not display cognitive symptoms. The MIND diet seemed to build cognitive resilience, even in the presence of dementia-related brain changes.

3. Slowed Cognitive Decline: Among those with mild cognitive impairment, the MIND diet appeared to slow the progression of symptoms over time.

The MIND diet focuses on 10 groups of healthy foods:

  • Daily: Leafy greens, other vegetables, and whole grains.
  • Almost Daily: Berries and nuts.
  • Regularly: Beans (every other day), poultry (twice a week), fish (once a week), and a glass of wine daily.
  • Whenever possible: Olive oil.

The diet also recommends limiting five food groups:

  • Fried foods, red meat, cheese, sweets, and butter or hard margarine.

By emphasizing these foods and limiting the rest, you can support cognitive function and build resilience against Alzheimer’s disease.

But there is one ingredient that the MIND diet leaves out—one that is more important than all of the others combined. You absolutely must load up on this ingredient to fight off (or even reverse) dementia, as I explain here…