Which Foods Can Protect Against Dementia?

Introduction

Cognitive decline and dementia can be extremely debilitating illnesses that negatively affect both the patient and their loved ones. A great deal of research has been conducted on specific foods and dietary patterns that, when consumed regularly, may reduce the risk of developing dementia. There are also certain types of foods (i.e. ultra-processed foods) that appear to increase the risk of dementia. 

Dietary Patterns that Fight Dementia

Online Medical or Informational Articles

• Eating Healthy Slows ‘Aging Clock,’ Helping to Shield Your Brain From Dementia (MedicineNet – March 15, 2024)
• Alzheimer’s prevention: Does it exist? (Mayo Clinic – March 13, 2024)
• Eating more plants and less meat may reduce risk of Alzheimer’s disease (MedicalNewsToday – December 11, 2023)
• Diet and dementia (Alzheimer’s Society – December 2023)
• What Do We Know About Diet and Prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease? (National Institute on Aging – November 20, 2023)
• Feed your brain: Dartmouth Health experts offer tips on foods that can help prevent, reduce dementia symptoms (Dartmouth Health – August 30, 2023)
• Mediterranean and DASH Diets May Lower Dementia Risk (Everyday Health – May 8, 2023)
• The MIND Diet: A Detailed Guide for Beginners (Healthline – April 21, 2023)
• The MIND Diet for Alzheimer’s Prevention (Everyday Health – November 22, 2022)
• A high-fiber diet may reduce the risk of dementia (Harvard Health Publishing – June 1, 2022)
• Anti-inflammatory diets may protect against dementia (MedicalNewsToday – November 15, 2021)
• What to eat to reduce your risk of Alzheimer’s disease (Harvard Health Publishing – May 8, 2020)
• The Alzheimer’s Prevention Diet (Food for the Brain Foundation)
• Can a healthy diet reduce your dementia risk? (British Heart Foundation)
• New MIND Diet May Significantly Protect Against Alzheimer’s Disease (Rush University Medical Center)
• What you eat and drink and your brain (Dementia Australia)

News Articles

• Longevity win as scientists find ‘strong evidence’ MIND diet slows pace of ageing – key foods to eat (GB News – March 15, 2024)
• A healthy diet may lower dementia risk — even if you start late (The Washington Post – September 18, 2023)
• Does the MIND Diet Prevent Dementia? (The New York Times – August 31, 2023)
• Can Certain Foods Really Stave Off Dementia? (The New York Times – June 22, 2023)
• The diet that could cut dementia risk by almost 25% (BBC – May 2023)
• Mediterranean diet can reduce dementia risk even if you have a family history, study finds (Today – March 14, 2023)
• Mediterranean diet may reduce risk of dementia or Alzheimer’s, research shows (NBC News – March 14, 2023)
• Mediterranean diet linked with reduced risk of developing dementia (CNN – March 13, 2023)
• Mediterranean and MIND diets reduced signs of Alzheimer’s in brain tissue, study finds (CNN – March 11, 2023)
• Mediterranean style diet may prevent dementia (CNN – July 20, 2018)
• The foods that might help with dementia (BBC – April 23, 2018)
• The MIND diet: 10 foods that fight Alzheimer’s (and 5 to avoid) (CBS News – March 30, 2015)

Selected Peer-Reviewed Articles (published 2018-2024)

• Trial of the MIND Diet for Prevention of Cognitive Decline in Older Persons (The New England Journal of Medicine – August 17, 2023)
• Mediterranean-Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay (MIND) Diet and Cognitive Function and its Decline: A Prospective Study and Meta-analysis of Cohort Studies (The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition – July 2023)
• Association of the Mediterranean Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay (MIND) Diet With the Risk of Dementia (JAMA Psychiatry – May 3, 2023)
• Whole Dietary Patterns, Cognitive Decline and Cognitive Disorders: A Systematic Review of Prospective and Intervention Studies (Nutrients – January 9, 2023)
• Mediterranean Diet, Ketogenic Diet or MIND Diet for Aging Populations with Cognitive Decline: A Systematic Review (Life – January 6, 2023)
• MIND Dietary Pattern and Its Association with Cognition and Incident Dementia in the UK Biobank (Nutrients – December 21, 2022)
• Diet in the Prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease: Current Knowledge and Future Research Requirements (Nutrients – November 2022)
• Association of a MIND Diet with Brain Structure and Dementia in a French Population (The Journal of Prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease – August 9, 2022)
• Adherence to MIND Diet, Genetic Susceptibility, and Incident Dementia in Three US Cohorts (Nutrients – July 3, 2022)
• Can dietary patterns prevent cognitive impairment and reduce Alzheimer’s disease risk: Exploring the underlying mechanisms of effects (Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews – April 2022)
• MIND diet and the risk of dementia: a population-based study (Alzheimer’s Research and Therapy – January 12, 2022)
• Effects of the MIND diet and physical activity on cognitive domains in the elderly (Alzheimer’s and Dementia – December 2021)
• Alzheimer’s Disease, Mild Cognitive Impairment and Mediterranean Diet. A Systematic Review and Dose-Response Meta-Analysis (Journal of Clinical Medicine – October 10, 2021)
• Mind Diet Adherence and Cognitive Performance in the Framingham Heart Study (Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease – July 21, 2021)
• Mediterranean diet and risk for dementia and cognitive decline in a Mediterranean population (Journal of the American Geriatrics Society – March 16, 2021)
• Dietary Pattern, Diet Quality, and Dementia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Prospective Cohort Studies (Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease – October 27, 2020)
• The Effect of Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet on Late-Life Cognitive Disorders: A Systematic Review (Journal of the American Medical Directors Association – October 2020)
• Dietary Interventions to Prevent or Delay Alzheimer’s Disease: What the Evidence Shows (Current Nutrition Reports – July 18, 2020)
• The role of diet in preventing and reducing cognitive decline (Current Opinion in Psychiatry – July 2020)
• 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 (Advances in Nutrition – November 2019)
• Mediterranean and MIND Diets Containing Olive Biophenols Reduces the Prevalence of Alzheimer’s Disease (International Journal of Molecular Sciences – June 7, 2019)
• MIND not Mediterranean diet related to 12-year incidence of cognitive impairment in an Australian longitudinal cohort study (Alzheimer’s and Dementia – April 2019)
• Association of Midlife Diet With Subsequent Risk for Dementia (JAMA – March 12, 2019)
• Prospective association between adherence to the MIND diet and subjective memory complaints in the French NutriNet-Santé cohort (Journal of Neurology – January 31, 2019)
• Dietary Patterns and Cognitive Decline: key features for prevention (Current Pharmaceutical Design – 2019)
• Nutritional patterns associated with the maintenance of neurocognitive functions and the risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease: A focus on human studies (Pharmacological Research – May 2018)
• Mediterranean Diet in Preventing Neurodegenerative Diseases (Current Nutrition Reports – March 7, 2018)
• Association of long-term adherence to the mind diet with cognitive function and cognitive decline in American women (The Journal of Nutrition, Health and Aging – February 2018)
• Nutritional prevention of cognitive decline and dementia (Acta Biomedica – 2018)

Foods that May Prevent Dementia

Online Medical or Informational Articles

• 11 Foods Experts Say Can Boost Your Brain Health And Help Ward Off Dementia (Huffpost – December 19, 2023)
• Diet Rich in Whole Grains May Slow Memory Decline in Black Adults (Everyday Health – November 28, 2023)
• What to eat to prevent dementia (MedicalNewsToday – November 20, 2023)
• Adding Cheese to Your Diet May Lower Dementia Risk, Study Suggests (Prevention – September 30, 2023)
• Brain Foods That May Help Prevent Dementia (WebMD – August 28, 2023)
• Eat These Foods To Help Fight Dementia (Orlando Health – June 26, 2023)
• 5 Brain-Boosting Foods That Can Fight Dementia (University Hospitals – January 10, 2023)
• Foods That May Prevent Dementia (Pacific Neuroscience Institute – August 9, 2022)
• 11 Tasty Foods That Reduce Alzheimer’s and Dementia Risk (Verywell Health – July 15, 2021)
• 12 Foods That Will Boost Brain Health and Keep Your Memory Sharp (Good Housekeeping – January 31, 2020)
• 10 Foods That Can Help Prevent Dementia (Delish – October 13, 2016)
• Alzheimer’s Prevention Diet: 11 Tasty Foods that Reduce Dementia Risk (Denver Health Medical Plan)

News Articles

• Harvard-trained brain expert: 4 key foods I try to eat every day to stay sharp and fight Alzheimer’s (CNBC – February 16, 2024)
• The 10 foods that could reduce your risk of dementia (The Telegraph – January 31, 2024)
• Eating one popular fruit could help reduce your chances of developing dementia, study finds (Fox News – November 15, 2023)
• The MIND diet is touted for its brain-boosting benefits—but can it really lower risk of dementia? What a neurologist thinks (CNBC – September 30, 2023)
• 5 nutrients good for brain health that can delay dementia, or prevent it, and foods to eat with a high concentration of them (South China Morning Post – July 31, 2023)
• A daily dose of one vegetable oil may lower risk of dying from dementia, research finds (CNN – July 27, 2023)
• A diet low in these 4 foods could increase risk of dementia, study finds (Today – November 11, 2021)

Selected Peer-Reviewed Articles (published 2018-2024)

• Cheese intake could lower risk of dementia, study suggests (Global Food – October 3, 2023)
• Risk Estimates of Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease among Different Whole Grain Food Consumption Categories: A Pilot Study (The Journal of Prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease – January 6, 2023)
• High consumption of whole grain foods decreases the risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease: Framingham Offspring Cohort (Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences – November 16, 2022)
• Fish consumption and the risk of dementia: Systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies (Psychiatry Research – November 2022)
• Fish intake, n-3 fatty acid body status, and risk of cognitive decline: a systematic review and a dose–response meta-analysis of observational and experimental studies (Nutrition Reviews – May 4, 2022)
• Blueberry Supplementation in Midlife for Dementia Risk Reduction (Nutrients – April 13, 2022)
• Dietary interventions in mild cognitive impairment and dementia (Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience – April 1, 2022)
• Potential Role of Ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) in the Prevention of Neurodegenerative Diseases (Frontiers in Nutrition – March 18, 2022)
• Preventing Dementia Using Saffron, The Kampo Medicine, Kamiuntanto, and Their Combination, Kamiuntantokabankoka (Frontiers in Pharmacology – March 3, 2022)
• Fish, n-3 fatty acids, cognition and dementia risk: not just a fishy tale (Proceedings of the Nutrition Society – October 11, 2021)
• Ginger, a Possible Candidate for the Treatment of Dementias? (Molecules – September 21, 2021)
• B vitamins and prevention of cognitive decline and incident dementia: a systematic review and meta-analysis (Nutrition Reviews – August 25, 2021)
• Milk, Yogurt, and Cheese Intake Is Positively Associated With Cognitive Executive Functions in Older Adults of the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging  (The Journals of Gerontology – June 11, 2021)
• Effects of Spices (Saffron, Rosemary, Cinnamon, Turmeric and Ginger) in Alzheimer’s Disease (Current Alzheimer Research – April 1, 2021)
• Nutrition and Dementia (The Journal of Nutrition, Health and Aging – March 6, 2021)
• Association Between Dietary Fish and PUFA Intake in Midlife and Dementia in Later Life: The JPHC Saku Mental Health Study (Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease – February 2, 2021)
• Is milk and dairy intake a preventive factor for elderly cognition (dementia and Alzheimer’s)? A quality review of cohort surveys (Nutrition Reviews – December 14, 2020)
• Functional Foods: An Approach to Modulate Molecular Mechanisms of Alzheimer’s Disease (Cells – October 23, 2020)
• Dietary flavonols and risk of Alzheimer dementia (Neurology – January 29, 2020)
• Association of Strawberries and Anthocyanidin Intake with Alzheimer’s Dementia Risk (Nutrients – December 14, 2019)
• Mediterranean diet: The role of long-chain ω-3 fatty acids in fish; polyphenols in fruits, vegetables, cereals, coffee, tea, cacao and wine; probiotics and vitamins in prevention of stroke, age-related cognitive decline, and Alzheimer disease (Revue Neurologique – December 2019)
• Diet and Alzheimer’s dementia – Nutritional approach to modulate inflammation (Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior – September 2019)
• Nutrition and prevention of cognitive impairment (The Lancet Neurology – November 2018)
• Preventive Effects of Dairy Products on Dementia and the Underlying Mechanisms (International Journal of Molecular Sciences – June 30, 2018)
• Prospective Associations between Single Foods, Alzheimer’s Dementia and Memory Decline in the Elderly (Nutrients – June 29, 2018)
• Nutrients and bioactives in green leafy vegetables and cognitive decline (Neurology – January 16, 2018)

Foods that Increase Dementia Risk
Online Medical or Informational Articles

• How Diet May Impact Dementia Risk (Cleveland Clinic – May 15, 2023)
• The 7 Worst Foods for Your Brain (Healthline – March 14, 2023)
• A Diet Rich in Ultra-Processed Foods May Increase Dementia Risk, Study Shows (Prevention – December 16, 2022)
• Cutting back on ultra-processed foods linked with lower dementia risk (Harvard Health Publishing – November 1, 2022)
• High-inflammatory diets linked with increased dementia risk (Harvard Health Publishing – September 1, 2022)
• These Popular Foods May Add to Dementia Risk (Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation – August 24, 2022)
• Diet High in Ultra-Processed Foods Linked to a Higher Risk of Dementia (Alzheimer’s Research UK – July 27, 2022)

News Articles

• Processed foods may increase your risk of dementia, new research shows (ABC 7 – April 25, 2023)
• A diet high in these foods could increase the risk of dementia, new study finds (Today – December 8, 2022)
• Dementia risk may increase if you’re eating these foods, study says (CNN – December 5, 2022)
• A Harvard nutritionist and brain expert says she avoids these 5 foods that ‘weaken memory and focus’ (CNBC – November 28, 2021)

Selected Peer-Reviewed Articles (published 2018-2024)

• Consumption of ultra-processed foods and risk for Alzheimer’s disease: a systematic review (Frontiers in Nutrition – January 15, 2024)
• Ultra-processed food consumption and risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease: the Framingham Heart Study (Alzheimer’s and Dementia – December 25, 2023)
• High intake of ultra-processed food is associated with dementia in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies (Journal of Neurology – October 13, 2023)
• Association of Ultraprocessed Food Consumption With Risk of Dementia (Neurology – July 27, 2022)
• Meat consumption and risk of incident dementia: cohort study of 493,888 UK Biobank participants (The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition – July 2021)
• Intake of Meat, Fish, Fruits, and Vegetables and Long-Term Risk of Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease (Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease – March 29, 2019)
• Dietary Fat Intake and Risk of Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia: A Meta-Analysis of Cohort Studies (Current Alzheimer Research – August 1, 2018)