Can changing your diet in your 40S protect your brain? This new study shows that the mind -diet increases mood and lifestyle – before the cognitive decline starts.
Study: The mind diet, the cognitive function and well-being in healthy adults in the midlife: a randomized feasibility study. Image Credit: Elena Eryomenko / Shutterstock
Published in a recent study in the magazine BMC NutritionResearchers tested the feasibility and exploratory effectiveness of the Mediterranean-DIE approaches to stop hypertension intervention for neurodegenerative delay (mind) diet on cognitive function, mood and quality of life in adults in the Middle Life.
Background
Did you know that nearly 850,000 people in the United Kingdom (VK) are currently living with dementia, expected to reach more than a million in 2025? Diet has a significant influence on cognitive health, with Mediterranean and food approaches to stop hypertension (Dash) diets that are known to reduce the risk of cognitive decline. However, these diets were not explicitly developed for the health of the brain. The mind -diet focuses on cognitive well -being in a unique way by emphasizing foods that promote brain health and limiting harmful food components. Current evidence focuses primarily on older populations, underline the need to investigate the potential of dietary interventions during the Midlife, a critical window to prevent cognitive decline. Further research is essential to verify intervention benefits in the midlife.
About the study
A randomized controlled pilot -reality study was carried out online, involving 41 healthy participants (both men and women), between 40 and 55 years old, recruited from North Ireland. Participants were randomly assigned to one of the three groups: the mind -diet with support, the mind -diet without support or a control group after standard nutritional guidelines for 12 weeks. Baseline and post-intervention measures assessed the cognitive function, mood and quality of life with the help of validated tools: the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (Cantab), the positive and negative affect schedule and the short version of the World Health Organization Quality of Life.
Nutrition intake was followed through food diaries analyzed with Nutritics software, and compliance with the mind diet was assessed with the help of a structured scoring system based on 15 brain-healthy and brain-sainty food components. Both intervention groups received detailed mind-mind dietary guidance and self-control aids. The “Support” group also had access to a simple online platform with educational content, a peer discussion forum and weekly motivating memories via SMS messages. The compliance, assets, opportunities and motivation of participants to maintain changes in the diet were evaluated using the capacities, opportunities, motivation behavior (COM-B) Self-evaluation Questionnaire. The intervention was based on the behavioral change wheel (BCW) and theoretical domains Framework (TDF), which led the selection of behavioral change techniques. Ethical approval was obtained in accordance with the explanation of Helsinki guidelines and analyzes were performed using repeated Measurements Variance analysis (ANOVA) with the statistical package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software.
Study results
The therapy compliance of the participants in the mind diet significantly improved from basic line to post-intervention in both intervention groups compared to the control group (p <0.001). The improvement did not differ significantly between the two intervention groups, indicating that the support level (basic information versus additional resources and memories) did not affect the compliance.
Both intervention groups, however, showed significant positive dietary changes, including a decrease in the intake of carbohydrates, sugars, free sugars and saturated fats. In addition, the intake of nutrients improved considerably in the intervention groups, with increased consumption of dietary fiber, omega-6 fatty acids, iron, vitamins B6 and B9 and vitamin C compared to the control group.
When assessing the vote, the intervention groups reported a significant increase in positive affect after intervention compared to the control groups (p = 0.047), which indicates a beneficial effect of the mind diet on emotional well-being. Similarly, the physical dimension of the quality of life improved considerably in both intervention groups compared to the control group (p = 0.023), which suggests that nutritional improvements improved that the observed physical well -being has improved.
Cognitive assessments did not reveal statistically significant differences between groups during the intervention period. However, participants in all groups, including the control group, showed minor improvements in performance in spatial working memory tasks. These findings suggest that modest improvements can be related to practice effects or time, instead of the nutritional intervention itself. The short duration of the intervention probably also limited limited perceptible cognitive profits.
Significant improvements were noticed in the capacities, opportunities and motivation dimensions (COM-B model components) in both intervention groups compared to the control group. In particular improved knowledge about nutritional benefits, skills in maintaining dietary changes, belief in personal possibilities and understanding the positive consequences of the diet considerably. Both intervention groups performed better than the checks and emphasized the successful use of behavioral change strategies that are integrated into the mind -diet intervention. There were no significant differences between the two intervention groups in COM-B results, indicating that extra support may not have granted an additional benefit in this format.
Conclusions
In summary, this pilot reasons trial underlines the potential benefits of the mind diet in improving nutritional behavior, emotional well-being and the overall quality of life in healthy adults in the midlife. Although significant cognitive improvements were not detected within the short period of time of 12 weeks and the small sample size limits the generalizability, remarkably positive changes in mood and food quality emphasize the wider benefits of accepting the mind-food pattern. Future research should investigate longer intervention duration and larger participants samples to determine cognitive results robust. Applying a theory driven behavioral framework, including education, self-control and setting goals can improve the compliance and support the usability of the implementation of the Mind diet in real-World institutions.