A plant-based diet tied to slower brain aging, per new research

New research published in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery & Psychiatry suggests that combining the Mediterranean approach to eating with a plan aimed at lowering blood pressure may help slow certain physical changes linked to brain aging. The study found that individuals who followed the MIND diet more closely experienced slower brain shrinkage over time, with the greatest differences amounting to about 2.5 years of delayed brain aging.

What Is the MIND Diet?

Before now, the Mediterranean-Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension Diet Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay, known as MIND, has been linked to better cognitive health. The diet focuses on green leafy vegetables, other vegetables, berries, nuts, whole grains, fish, beans, olive oil, and poultry, along with moderate wine consumption. It also calls for cutting back on butter/margarine, cheese, red meat, pastries/sweets, and fried fast foods.

How the Study Was Run

The Framingham Heart Study Offspring cohort included 1647 middle aged and older adults whose average age was 60 when the study began. Over decades, these participants took part in regular health checks and MRI brain scans while their diet was recorded through food frequency questionnaires.

Grey Matter Shrank More Slowly

Across the entire group, MRI scans revealed standard age-related changes over an average follow-up of 12 years, including declines in total brain volume, grey matter, white matter, and hippocampal volumes. At the same time, cerebrospinal fluid and ventricular volumes grew, alongside increases in white matter hyperintensities, which may signal tissue damage.

But people with higher MIND diet scores showed slower grey matter loss. Each 3-point increase in score was linked to slower grey matter loss of 0.279 cm³/year, or about 20% less age-related decline.

Ventricles Expanded More Slowly Too

Each 3-point rise in MIND diet score was also linked to slower expansion of total ventricular volume by −0.071 cm³/year, or about 8% less tissue loss and about 1 year of delayed brain aging.

Berries and Poultry Stand Out

A higher consumption of berries was associated with a slower increase in ventricle size, while poultry was connected to both a slower rise in ventricle size and a slower loss of grey matter.

A larger intake of sweets was tied to quicker growth of the ventricles and more shrinkage of the hippocampus. Fried fast foods were tied to a bigger drop in hippocampal size.

Some Foods Surprised the Researchers

Several negative brain changes were associated with higher consumption of whole grains, including quicker losses of grey matter and hippocampal volume, along with more rapid ventricular growth. Cheese, however, followed a different course: increased cheese intake was tied to slower declines in grey matter and hippocampal volume, less ventricular growth, and fewer white matter hyperintensities.

Benefits Were Stronger in Older Adults

Several further analyses confirmed the general findings, and they were even stronger among older participants. The researchers proposed that the MIND diet might be particularly useful for people at higher risk of faster brain aging or those showing more variation in the pace of brain atrophy.

Physical activity and a healthy weight both appear to strengthen these connections, with participants who exercised more and those who did not carry excess weight showing particularly strong associations.

The Limitations of FFQ Data

Food frequency questionnaires and MRI scans, which were collected every 2–6 years, form the basis of the research. Even so, no firm cause-and-effect conclusions can be drawn from the data. The results point toward a promising direction for preserving brain health as people age.

What the Research Suggests

The study points to specific foods worth adding and avoiding:

1. Add berries and poultry, which showed particular benefit.
2. Cut sweets and fried fast foods, which did harm.
3. Whole grains showed unexpected unfavorable patterns, while cheese showed unexpected favorable ones.
4. Physical activity and staying within a healthy weight range strengthened the diet’s effects.

This study connects the MIND diet more directly to the physical structure of the aging brain, tying cognitive health to brain structure. The findings suggest the diet may be particularly helpful for older adults, who often show more variation in how quickly their brains change over time.

Source material: “This diet may slow brain aging by 2.5 years,” ScienceDaily.

brain aging · dietary research · health studies · MIND diet · neurology