The MIND Diet and Cognitive Health

Abstract: Dementia is a leading cause of disability among older adults, affecting more than 55 million people worldwide. However, despite decades of research, currently available pharmacologic therapies provide none to modest functional or symptomatic benefit and have not been shown to significantly slow down the underlying neurodegenerative process or prevent disease progression. Consequently, there has been growing interest in identifying modifiable lifestyle factors that may reduce the risk of cognitive decline. Over the past decades, interest in dietary changes has become more prominent, and most recently, the Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay (MIND) diet has emerged as a dietary pattern specifically designed to promote cognitive health. We analyze the current studies and data evaluating the MIND diet. Ultimately, however, the current evidence remains scarce due to a predominance of observational data and inconsistent findings, underscoring the need for larger, long-term randomized controlled trials.