title: MIND diet slows cognitive decline with aging.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The Mediterranean and dash diets have been shown to slow cognitive decline; however, neither diet is specific to the nutrition literature on dementia prevention.
  
  
  METHODS
  We devised the Mediterranean-Dietary Approach to Systolic Hypertension (DASH) diet intervention for neurodegenerative delay (MIND) diet score that specifically captures dietary components shown to be neuroprotective and related it to change in cognition over an average 4.7 years among 960 participants of the Memory and Aging Project.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In adjusted mixed models, the MIND score was positively associated with slower decline in global cognitive score (β = 0.0092; P < .0001) and with each of five cognitive domains. The difference in decline rates for being in the top tertile of MIND diet scores versus the lowest was equivalent to being 7.5 years younger in age.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The study findings suggest that the MIND diet substantially slows cognitive decline with age. Replication of these findings in a dietary intervention trial would be required to verify its relevance to brain health.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine at Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA. Electronic address: martha_c_morris@rush.edu.
authors.forename: Martha Clare
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Morris
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Nutrition at Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Christy C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Tangney
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine at Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Yamin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Frank M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Sacks
authors.affiliation: Department of Behavioral Sciences at Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA; Department of Neurological Sciences at Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA; Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center at Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Lisa L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Barnes
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurological Sciences at Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA; Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center at Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA.
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Bennett
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurological Sciences at Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA; Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center at Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Neelum T
authors.initials: NT
authors.lastname: Aggarwal
mesh_terms: D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D002641:Chicago / Q000453:epidemiology; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000178:diet therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D004034:Diet Surveys; D038441:Diet, Mediterranean; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011581:Psychological Tests
keywords: Aging; Cognition; Cognitive decline; Diet; Epidemiologic study; Nutrition