Diet and the quality of food we consume have always had an impact on our lives whether it is as a young adult or as an aging one. A new article published in the Annals of Neurology suggests that a healthy diet can slow the effects of ageing on the human body including the brain. This means that diet has the impact of slowing down the risk of dementia. There might be numerous epigenetic clocks that researchers use to track the speed of a person’s biological ageing process which is measured by various key indicators within the body.Â
The MIND diet consists of legumes and numerous plant-based meals and restricts the consumption of alcohol and saturated fats. Researchers worked with 1644 dementia-free participants who followed the MIND diet for a long time. Participants were 60 years and older and 54% were female. After 14 years 140 people developed dementia and 471 died. It was found that people who closely followed the MIND diet seriously had slower DunedinPACE clock ratings along with a reduced risk of dementia. Analysis revealed that a slower DunedinPACEÂ rating was linked to a 27% link between diet and dementia and a 57% link between diet and mortality.Â
DunedinPACE clock is a DNA methylation biomarker of the pace of ageing. DNA methylation is a biochemical process in the body that deteriorates with age which in turn helps researchers assess the pace of a person’s biological aging process and the DunedinPACE clock helps assess that. DunedinPACE measured the pace of biological ageing over time and has shown the pace of ageing effectively. This clock is a speedometer but for an ageing process. Even though clocks cannot solve the mystery of how people age, they can help originate the ageing process. Scientists are trying to figure out the aging-based molecular damage at the cellular level. In addition, as a system that measures multi-system ageing, DunedinPACE — and the study cannot exactly tell us about the specific nutrient in the MIND diet that might help age better.Â
Dementia, like Alzheimer’s disease is complicated and multifactorial, therefore eating the right food can be seen as a prevention strategy but it’s not a necessary measure. Some doctors say that the MIND diet helps reduce inflammation and improves metabolic health which in turn supports the heart and brain. Diets high in Omega 3 fatty acids are also important for reducing neuroinflammation and oxidative stress which can be seen in cognitive decline. Diets high in fats and sugar can increase neuroinflammation which can contribute to insulin resistance within the brain which is linked to cognitive decline. Â
Since the MIND diet provides key nutrients for brain health long chain omega-3 fatty acids with anti-inflammatory properties as well as phenolic compounds like vitamin E and B, it helps in preventing cognitive decline. A diet rich in fiber also promotes healthy gut microbiota, which can benefit the gut-brain axis.Â
Journal Reference – Thomas, A., Ryan, C. P., Caspi, A., Liu, Z., Moffitt, T. E., Sugden, K., … Gu, Y. (2024). Annals of Neurology. doi:10.1002/ana.26900Â
