Combo of Two Diets May Slow Brain Aging

Pairing two familiar eating plans may help your brain hang on to its youth, at least on scans. A study of more than 1,600 adults found that people who stuck more closely to the MIND diet—a mashup of the Mediterranean and DASH diets—had brain structures that looked up to 2 1/2 years "younger" over roughly 12 years of follow-up, reports CNN. Stronger adherence was tied to less loss of gray matter, which governs memory and thinking, and slower expansion of the brain's fluid-filled ventricles, another marker of atrophy.

Every three-point jump in how rigorously someone followed MIND was linked to 20% less gray-matter shrinkage and an 8% slower increase in their ventricles, researchers report in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry. The MIND eating plan leans hard on berries, beans, leafy greens, whole grains, nuts, fish, poultry, and olive oil, while sharply limiting red meat, butter, cheese, sweets, and fried foods.

Berries and poultry seemed to drive much of the benefits found, while sweets and fried fast food were tied to more rapid brain aging. Those latter items are "often high in unhealthy fats, trans fats, and [other end products and] may contribute to inflammation and vascular damage," the researchers say, per a release. Scientists stress that the study is observational, so it can't prove cause and effect—but they note that their findings reinforce advice to favor a Mediterranean-style nutritional regimen overall, not any single "miracle" food.