{Research Brief} How the Mediterranean and MIND Diets CAN IMPACT Cognitive Aging: Insights from a 60-Month Study

In this episode, I break down a 2025 paper published in Scientific Reports titled “The long-term neuroprotective effect of MIND and Mediterranean diet on patients with Alzheimer’s disease” by Liu and colleagues. Over a 60-month observational period, researchers explored how two well-studied dietary patterns—the Mediterranean diet and the MIND diet—relate to changes in cognitive performance, and whether these relationships differ based on APOE-ε4 status.I unpack what each diet actually emphasizes, what APOE-ε4 means for brain health, and how nutrition recommendations were personalized for carriers versus non-carriers. You’ll hear how omega-3 fatty acids, polyphenols, and antioxidant-rich foods may provide added value for people genetically at higher risk of cognitive decline.Finally, I dig into the reported beta-coefficients linking both diets with cognitive trajectories on the MoCA and MMSE, highlighting how even modest long-term dietary differences can translate into meaningful brain-health outcomes.Reference: Liu X, Yang B, Liu Q, Gao M, Luo M. The long-term neuroprotective effect of MIND and Mediterranean diet on patients with Alzheimer's disease. Sci Rep. 2025 Sep 24;15(1):32725. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-17055-5.

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