The Vital Role of Diet-Derived Phytochemicals in the Protection Against Dementia and Alzheimer’s in Aging

Summary

In today’s episode (#14), I’ll be providing an in depth overview one of the most powerful factors that underlies healthy body and brain aging—DIET!

Indeed, healthy foods provide key nutrients and phytochemicals work to optimize cognitive function, and protect against dementia and Alzheimer’s in aging.

However, since dietary therapies and specific foods in those diets that are linked to healthy aging is such a huge field of research, I’ll be focusing on a particular diet that has become a meaningful food template for the preservation and enhancement of brain health—The MIND Diet.

Similarly, other studies have examined the benefits of other diets such as Japanese diet and the DASH diet in the reduction of risk for dementia and Alzheimer’s.

In today’s review of these diets, I’ll also be referencing my version of The MIND Diet—The Improved MIND Diet, and of course, what distinguishes The Improved MIND Diet from all the other brain health and brain-saving diets.

Now, what is so compelling about the research that underlies why these diets are so effective in many promoting a health body and brain in aging?

After all, generations of moms and dads since Hippocrates espoused that “Food is Medicine”, have doggedly sought ways to get children into the habit of eating your vegetables for a healthy body and brain.

Yes, we hopefully have all been coached to stick as many vegetables and fruits into out diets to optimize health and prevent common age-related diseases such as such as cardiovascular disease (CVD) and type 2 diabetes (T2D).

However, the general public has little awareness of the marvelous body of evidence that points to a host of phytochemicals in fruits, vegetables and other foods that function as powerful activators of longevity wellness and a well-nourished brain that it takes for us to enjoy that ride.

The research on the phytochemicals and particularly polyphenols and carotenoids abundant in those foods has become one of the most intense areas of study with regard to epigenetics, longevity medicine and in the prevention of many age-related diseases.

Now a brief description of the MIND Diet

In 2015 I ran across a report on the MIND Diet that incorporated two well recognized dietary models in their studies—the Mediterranean diet (MeDi) and the DASH diet, and the remarkable outcome in lowering the risk for Alzheimer’s disease.

Dr. Martha Clare Morris-a nutritional epidemiologist at the Rush University Medical Center, and colleagues, were the authors of two studies that examined The MIND Diet food template compared to the foods specific to the MeDi and the DASH diet.

The MIND Diet (Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay) concept was derived from the research that had demonstrated a protective benefit from both the Mediterranean diet and the DASH diet against dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

Thus, two MIND diet studies were initiated to determine if a hybrid MIND dietary pattern could be proven to ward of cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease.

What separated the MIND Diet from their Mediterranean and DASH diet models was a modification of the MIND Diet foods that were used in the studies.

The MIND diet modifications included an emphasis on leafy greens and berries to “highlight the foods and nutrients shown through the scientific literature to be associated with dementia prevention.”

Why leafy greens?

The choice of leafy greens was based on previous studies that revealed a lower rate of cognitive decline in study participants that consumed greater amounts of leafy greens over a variety of vegetables.

In addition, the study authors remarked that: “Green leafy vegetables are sources of folate, vitamin E, carotenoids and flavonoids—a sub-class of polyphenols—critical nutrients that have been related to lower risk of dementia and cognitive decline.”

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