ADVERTISEMENT
Adherence to MIND or Mediterranean Diets Associated With Lower Beta-Amyloid Load in Alzheimer Disease
Closer adherence to MIND and Mediterranean dietary guidelines was found to be associated with less Alzheimer disease (AD) pathology in the postmortem brain tissue of older adults, according to an observational study recently published in Neurology.
The study evaluated dietary patterns in 581 autopsied participants from the Rush Memory and Aging Project. Data collected through the project and included in the study for analysis comprised complete dietary information collected through a validated food frequency questionnaire, and global AD pathology (beta-amyloid load, phosphorylated tau tangles, summarized neurofibrillary tangles, neuritic and diffuse plaques).
>>NEWS: Dementia Risk Higher in People With Low Femoral Neck, Total Body BMD
Both the MIND diet scores (b -0.022, P=0.035; standardized beta -2.0) and Mediterranean diet scores (b -0.008, P=0.039; standardized beta -2.3) were associated with lower global AD pathology postmortem, and especially with less beta-amyloid load (MIND: β -0.068, P=0.050, standardized β -2.0; Mediterranean: β -0.040, P=0.004, standardized β -2.9). Additionally, those in the highest tertile of green leafy vegetable consumption (comprising 7 or more servings per week) had less global AD pathology compared to those in the lowest tertile—comprising only 1 to 2 servings per week (Tertile-3 vs. Tertile-1: β -0.115, P=0.0038).
These findings remained consistent after adjusting for physical activity, smoking, and vascular disease burden. The researchers also utilized linear regression models to control for age, sex, education, APOE4 status, and total calories consumed.
The researchers acknowledged several study limitations. The observational design prevents establishing clear causal relationships. Further, the participants studied were mostly white, older adults, so findings may not be generalized to younger or more diverse populations.
References
