A long-running study suggests that the MIND diet may be linked to slower structural brain changes that often accompany aging.
New research published in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery & Psychiatry suggests that the MIND diet, a blend of the Mediterranean diet and a blood pressure-lowering eating plan, may help slow structural changes in the brain linked to aging.
People who followed the diet more closely showed less tissue loss over time, especially in gray matter, which is central to memory, learning, and decision-making. They also had less enlargement of the brain’s ventricles, a sign of atrophy that occurs as brain tissue shrinks and cerebrospinal fluid-filled spaces expand.
The Mediterranean–Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension Diet Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay diet, or MIND for short, has previously been linked to better cognitive health, the researchers noted.
The diet emphasizes regular intake of green leafy vegetables, other vegetables, berries, nuts, whole grains, fish, beans, olive oil, and poultry, along with moderate wine consumption. It also advises limiting butter or margarine, cheese, red meat, pastries and sweets, and fried fast foods.
However, the researchers said it has remained unclear how this diet may affect age-related brain changes tied to neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
How the Study Was Conducted
To investigate, the researchers analyzed 1647 middle-aged and older adults (average age 60 at the start of the study) from the Framingham Heart Study Offspring cohort (FOS). All participants had routine health check-ups every 4–8 years, along with MRI brain scans every 2–6 years from 1999 onward.
They also completed at least 1 food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) during check-ups between 1991–5, 1995–8, and/or 1998–2001 to measure diet. In addition, each person had at least 2 brain MRI scans between 1999 and 2019 and had no evidence of stroke or dementia at the time of the first scan.
The average MIND diet score was just under 7 out of 15, with 15 representing the highest adherence. People in the top third were more likely to be women and college-educated, and less likely to be current smokers or living with obesity.
They were also less likely to have conditions that can affect brain health, including type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular disease.
What the Brain Scans Showed
Over an average follow-up of 12 years, MRI scans showed declines in total brain, gray matter, white matter, and hippocampal volume in all participants. At the same time, cerebrospinal fluid, ventricular volume, and white matter hyperintensities, or bright spots that signal tissue damage, increased.
Still, higher MIND diet scores were linked to slower gray matter loss. Every 3-point increase in score was associated with a slower loss of 0.279 cm³/year (about 0.017 cubic inches/year), equal to 20% less age-related decline and roughly 2.5 years of delayed brain aging.
Each 3-point increase in MIND diet score was also associated with slower total ventricular expansion of −0.071 cm³/year (about −0.004 cubic inches/year), equivalent to 8% less tissue loss and about 1 year of delayed brain aging.
Among the foods most strongly tied to these benefits were berries, which were linked to slower increases in ventricular volume, and poultry, which was linked to both slower ventricular enlargement and slower gray matter decline.
In contrast, higher sweets intake was associated with faster ventricular expansion and more hippocampal atrophy. Fried fast foods were also linked to greater loss of hippocampal volume.
“MIND-recommended foods rich in antioxidants, such as berries, and high-quality protein sources like poultry, may reduce oxidative stress and mitigate neuronal damage,” suggest the researchers. “Conversely, fried fast foods, often high in unhealthy fats, trans fats, and advanced glycation end-products, may contribute to inflammation and vascular damage,” they add.
Unexpected Findings and Broader Patterns
Some findings were unexpected. Higher whole grain intake was associated with less favorable structural changes, including faster declines in gray matter and hippocampal volume, and faster ventricular expansion. Higher cheese intake, by contrast, was linked to slower reductions in gray matter and hippocampal volume, less ventricular enlargement, and fewer bright spots.
The results remained consistent across additional analyses and were stronger in older participants. According to the researchers, that may mean the diet offers greater benefits in people at higher risk of faster brain aging or in those with greater variation in the rate of brain atrophy.
The associations were also stronger in people who were more physically active and not overweight or obese, suggesting that combining healthy lifestyle habits may help reduce the risk of neurodegenerative disease.
This was an observational study, so it cannot prove cause and effect. The researchers also noted that food frequency questionnaires are vulnerable to recall bias. They were not able to rule out mild cognitive impairment at the time of the first MRI scan, changes in diet over time, or genetic risk factors.
Because most participants were White, the findings may not apply to other ethnic groups, the researchers said.
Nevertheless, they conclude: “These findings reinforce the potential of the MIND diet as a brain-healthy dietary pattern and support its role in strategies aimed at slowing neurodegeneration in aging populations.”
Reference: “Adherence to the MIND diet and longitudinal brain structural changes over a decade: evidence from the Framingham heart study offspring cohort” by Hui Chen, Gulisiya Hailili, Lu-sha Tong, Leqi Fei, Yaying Cao, Xin Xu, Xue Li, Debora Melo van Lent and Changzheng Yuan, 17 March 2026, Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry.
DOI: 10.1136/jnnp-2025-336957
Funding: Alzheimer’s Association, Zhejiang University Global Partnership Fund, Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities
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2 Comments
Anne amphibia
Nuts and berries were original food resources for primitive (so-called) peoples, not to mention sparse diets due to fragile availability of resources. Fasting, not self imposed but as consequence of the limited availability, and seasonal scarcity, would have preserved the lean physical structure of their bodies. Nothing was subjected to fire as being “cooked” in our modern terminology. Fat was eaten, preferentially, and “frying” was yet to be discovered. No one was “fat.” Memories were facilitated by actual “remembering” which preserved the integrity of the brain structure. We have now allowed machine learning to substitute for our capacity to memorize, to our deficit.