Popular 'Healthy Food' Actually Linked To Faster Brain Decline: Experts
The Bobby Bones Show • • health
Key Points:
- A decade-long Framingham Heart Study found that whole grains, a key part of the MIND diet, were unexpectedly linked to faster cognitive decline, challenging previous beliefs about their brain health benefits.
- The study involved 1,647 adults who recorded their diets and underwent repeated MRI scans, revealing that higher MIND diet scores correlated with slower gray matter loss, mainly due to berries and poultry.
- Contrary to expectations, grains such as oats and brown rice, along with cheese, were associated with quicker cognitive decline in this study.
- Previous research indicated that the MIND diet, rich in greens, berries, nuts, and olive oil, reduced dementia risk by improving blood flow and lowering blood pressure, with up to a 25% reduced risk over 10 years.
- Researchers suggest these new findings on individual diet components warrant further investigation to clarify the role of whole grains in cognitive health.
