Eating Your Way to a Sharper Mind: Study Reveals Diet's Role in Slowing Aging and Cutting Dementia Risk

A groundbreaking study at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health and The Robert Butler Columbia Aging Center, published in the Annals of Neurology, has revealed a link between a healthy diet and both a slower aging process and a reduced risk of dementia. This newly published research shines a light on the biological processes involved in how what we eat might protect our minds as we get older.

The study was led by Dr. Daniel Belsky, a PhD and associate professor of Epidemiology, alongside his colleague Dr. Yian Gu, a PhD and associate professor of Neurological Sciences. They utilized data from the Offspring Cohort of the Framingham Heart Study, a multi-decade research initiative focused on understanding cardiovascular health and disease. Participants of interest were those aged 60 and above, free from dementia at the study's outset, and who had relevant health and lifestyle data available for analysis. The researchers tracked these individuals over several follow-up appointments which featured physical exams, lifestyle surveys, blood tests, and from 1991 onward, neurocognitive assessments.

Of the 1,644 participants included in the analysis, 140 developed dementia over the study period. To assess aging, the team employed an epigenetic clock known as DunedinPACE, a tool crafted by Belsky and colleagues that estimates the rate at which the body deteriorates with age. Their novel findings showed that adherence to the MIND diet—a hybrid of the Mediterranean diet and the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet—correlated with reduced rates of aging according to this clock, as well as decreased dementia incidence and overall mortality rates.

Remarkably, the study elucidated that the slower pace of aging, as indicated by the DunedinPACE readings, accounted for a significant portion of the link between diet and dementia (27%) and diet and mortality (57%). Aline Thomas, PhD, a key researcher in the study, emphasized the importance of monitoring the rate of aging as part of strategies to prevent dementia, though also pointed out that the Diet-Dementia relationship is still not fully explained.

The research summary highlights that the science behind the beneficial effects of healthy dietary patterns on cognitive function is becoming clearer, which could be instrumental in informing public health advice and individual dietary choices. It builds on earlier findings that have associated the Mediterranean diet with reduced cognitive decline and adds to a growing body of evidence connecting lifestyle choices with long-term health outcomes.

The research team recommends further observational studies to directly examine how individual nutrients may affect brain aging. The study hopes to see its observations confirmed in a more diverse population, which could lead to the recognition of biological aging as a bona fide indicator for dementia prevention strategies.