MIND Diet slows down dementia -- and it's very healthy!

catherdb
catherdb Posts: 1 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hello Friends, my husband has a rare form of Parkinsons Disease called PSP, in which he will lose cognition, mobility, speech and other things within just a few years. Recently his neuro psychiatrist recommended something called the MIND diet, to slow down the effects of dementia. The MIND diet is a combination of Mediterranean and the DASH diet (developed for cardio health). Here is a Harvard reiew: https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/healthy-weight/diet-reviews/mind-diet/

Mainly, this diet emphasizes grean leafy vegs, whole grains, nuts berries, etc. Nothing is absolutely off limits ... it just offers helpful guidance on limiting sweets and fats.

You can use the MIND diet as a simple guide, or you can really get into the details for serious meal planning. (There are many great books! https://www.amazon.com/MIND-Diet-Beginners-Recipes-Kickstart-ebook/dp/B08PCBFC4T/ref=sr_1_5?crid=UBYDW7U1D1HA&keywords=mind+diet+cookbook+2023&qid=1686834199&s=books&sprefix=MIND+diet,stripbooks,105&sr=1-5) I'm after the details, so I am finding this to be a process. For example, I've been surprised by how challenging it is to actually get 3 servings of whole grains in every day.

I can't say directly that I have seen this diet make a difference in my husband, because he is also exercising and taking medications. But it does seem that his middle stages of the disease are stretching out. His doctors and therapists tell us that he is doing very well in spite of his declines. We are still able to do many things together. In sum, things are going as well as anyone could ask.

I am confident that this diet is healthy for both of us, at least, and it gives me a sound basis for meal planning.

Replies

  • sollyn23l2
    sollyn23l2 Posts: 1,851 Member
    I'm so glad it seems to be helping! Wishing you the best.
  • PeachHibiscus
    PeachHibiscus Posts: 163 Member
    This definitely sounds like a healthy diet. I wish you and your husband all the best!
  • COGypsy
    COGypsy Posts: 1,398 Member
    My NP has recommended the MIND diet to me several times. I find it requires more shopping and cooking than I’m willing to do, but it looks like a solid program for the more…..domestically inclined.
  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 9,346 Member
    I hope it works for him.

    My mother died of PSP - she ate very healthily all her life to the point of perhaps extremes.

    (anybody asking for salt for their meal got a lecture about how bad it is :* )

    But anything to slow the process is worth a try.

  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,384 Member
    There no need to be stress out whether your getting 3 servings of whole grains everyday. Personally I wouldn't be consuming that much grain anyway considering the connection to inflammation which is ironically what these diets want to minimize. I would be getting more fish in the diet than their 1 portion a week recommendation just based on the science around DHA and brain health,, but again that is just my opinion. I'm sure improving your husbands diet will help, take care. Cheers.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,384 Member
    edited June 2023
    From the NIH. A pretty good read on the brain.

    https://ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4169761/#:~:text=Obesity%20and%20dementia%201%20Introduction.%20Each%20year%2C%20obesity,modulating%20inflammatory...%204%20Angiotensinogen.%20Almost%20every%20tissue%20in
    Obesity has been associated with changes in brain structure, cognitive deficits, and dementia and Alzheimer's disease. Adipokines, defined as hormones, cytokines and peptides secreted by adipose tissue, may have more widespread influence and functionality in the brain than previously thought. In this review, six adipokines, and their actions in the obese and non-obese condition will be discussed. Included are: plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1), interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factors alpha (TNF-α), angiotensinogen (AGT), adiponectin and leptin. Their functionality in the periphery, their ability to cross the blood brain barrier (BBB) and their influence on dementia processes within the brain will be discussed.

    And another read from the NIH on the Mind Diet that goes into a little more nuance than Harvard does.
    https://nia.nih.gov/health/what-do-we-know-about-diet-and-prevention-alzheimers-disease

    The Mediterranean diet, the related MIND diet (which includes elements designed to lower blood pressure), and other healthy eating patterns have been associated with cognitive benefits in studies, though the evidence is not as strong as it is for other interventions like physical activity, blood pressure and cognitive training. Currently, researchers are more rigorously testing these diets to see if they can prevent or delay Alzheimer’s disease or age-related cognitive decline.

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