Alzheimer's: Scientists Reveal Diet That May Stave Off Disease

Newsweek

19 hours ago

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While we know some foods can offer medicinal benefits, it appears one diet in particular can help to reduce the risk of dementia and Alzheimer's disease.
Sticking to a Mediterranean-style diet may help to slow cognitive decline and ultimately prevent these neurodegenerative diseases, according to scientists at Rush University Medical Center.
The researchers measured hippocampal sclerosis (HS)—a severe decline in brain cells and processes in particular areas of the brain linked with dementia and Alzheimer's—in 809 people with available brain autopsies and dietary information.
They found those who had been on the 'MIND' diet, which combines elements of the Mediterranean diet with a another called Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH), were less likely to have signs of HS in their brains.
This suggests being consistent with the MIND diet may reduce the risk of HS, dementia and Alzheimer's disease, the authors said.
Foods in this diet typically include whole grains, nuts, legumes, berries, vegetables (especially leafy greens), olive oil, poultry and fish.
Woman looking in fridge thinking about what to eat.
Woman looking in fridge thinking about what to eat.
shurkin_son/Getty Images
"This cohort study of autopsied participants found that MIND diet adherence during follow-up was associated with a lower likelihood of HS, HS with LATE-NC [the most recently identified form of dementia, noted for its similarity to Alzheimer's disease] and hippocampal neuronal loss [damage to neurons in the part of the brain crucial for memory]," the researchers wrote in the study.
"The association of diet with dementia was partially mediated by its association with HS. These findings suggest that the MIND diet may reduce adverse brain health outcomes."
HS is a common marker of aging characterized by severe neuronal loss and injury in memory-associated regions in the hippocampus.
HS is present in 20 percent of individuals with cognitive impairment and is increasingly recognized as an important pathology associated with cognitive impairment and dementia beyond typical Alzheimer's disease pathology, according to the researchers.
HS is also associated with LATE-NC, Alzheimer's disease pathology and changes in the size of the hippocampus.
Brain health food nutrition concept with fish, vegetables, seeds, pollen grain and herbs on rustic background.
Brain health food nutrition concept with fish, vegetables, seeds, pollen grain and herbs on rustic background.
marilyna/Getty Images
The researchers had previously observed that people with HS showed impairment in hippocampus-dependent cognitive abilities, like memory—while those with both HS and Alzheimer's pathology had lower episodic memory scores than those with Alzheimer's pathology alone.
"The fact that HS combined with other pathologies, like LATE-NC or AD, is associated with cognitive impairment or probable dementia suggests that prevention of these pathologies could result in lower risks of dementia. Thus, understanding whether the modifiable risk factors may prevent such pathology that impacts brain health is important for healthy aging," the researchers wrote.
While this builds on previous studies suggesting diet is a potentially modifiable risk factor associated with dementia and other age-related cognitive outcomes, including MIND and low-calorie diets, it has been unknown whether MIND is associated with other dementia-related pathologies. This includes HS, LATE-NC (prevalent in individuals with HS), and hippocampal neuronal loss.
This study investigated the association using postmortem brain tissue from a community-based sample of older adults and further investigated whether the association of the MIND diet with dementia diagnosis close to the time of death was mediated by HS.
"Overall, this study supports that among older adults, adhering to a healthy dietary pattern, such as the MIND diet, is associated with reduced likelihood of hippocampal degeneration of aging, as indicated by HS, HS with LATE-NC and hippocampal neuronal loss," the researchers explained.
"Our findings also support that the association of the MIND diet with hippocampal health may partially explain the association of a healthy diet with reduced dementia risk.
"Further studies should investigate potential neurobiological mechanisms explaining these links, including neuroinflammation and brain oxidative stress, proposed mechanisms for the association of diet with dementia."
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Reference
Agarwal, P., Agrawal, S., Wagner, M., Cherian, L. J., Aggarwal, N. T., James, B. D., Holland, T. M., Bennett, D. A., Barnes, L. L., Leurgans, S. E., & Schneider, J. A. (2025). MIND diet and hippocampal sclerosis among community-based older adults. JAMA Network Open, 8(8). https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.26089
Wilson, R. S., Yang, J., Yu, L., Leurgans, S. E., Capuano, A. W., Schneider, J. A., Bennett, D. A., & Boyle, P. A. (2019). Postmortem neurodegenerative markers and trajectories of decline in cognitive systems. Neurology, 92(8), e831–e840. https://doi.org/10.1212/WNL.0000000000006949