A Mediterranean-style diet, rich in seafood, olive oil, nuts, wholegrains, fruit and vegetables can reap a host of health benefits – including cutting your dementia risk.
However, a version of this style of diet, known as the MIND diet – which stands for Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay diet – has been specifically designed to protect brain health and has been shown to significantly reduce people’s Alzheimer’s risk.
Developed by researchers at Rush University and the Harvard Chan School of Public Health, it combines elements of the Mediterranean and DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diets, focusing on foods that research suggests help preserve brain function.
In the first analysis of its benefits, published in the journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia in 2015, more than 900 participants were monitored for an average of four-and-a-half years. Those who adhered to the diet most strictly reduced their risk by 53 per cent.
Subsequent research has produced similar results. For instance, a 2023 review of previous studies, published in JAMA Psychiatry, involving 224,000 middle-aged participants, showed that those who stuck closely to MIND principles were 17 per cent less likely to develop dementia than those who didn’t.
The benefits are thought to be due to the anti-inflammatory properties of the foods recommended and their ability to help reduce oxidative stress (a build-up of harmful molecules called free radicals).
Both are thought to play important roles in brain ageing and neurodegenerative diseases.
Rather than a set plan as such, the diet emphasises ten ‘brain-healthy’ foods and advises limiting five harmful categories. Researchers explained that adopting a less rigid approach to diet made people more likely to stick with the regimen long-term.
These are the ten brain-healthy foods set out in the MIND diet, including fatty fish such as salmon or mackerel
Foods with an impact
These are the ten brain-healthy foods set out in the MIND diet, proven to reduce dementia risk…
- LEAFY GREENS such as spinach, kale and other vegetables rich in folate and vitamin K: six-plus servings a week.
- OTHER VEGETABLES, particularly colourful varieties: one-plus serving daily.
- NUTS, especially almonds and walnuts for healthy fats: five-plus servings a week.
- BERRIES like blueberries and strawberries, rich in antioxidants: two-plus servings a week.
Olive oil is recommended for cooking as part of the MIND diet
- BEANS AND LEGUMES for protein and fibre: three-plus servings a week.
- WHOLEGRAINS – brown rice, quinoa and whole wheat products: three-plus servings a day.
- FISH – fatty fish (e.g. salmon, mackerel) for omega-3 fatty acids: one-plus serving weekly.
- POULTRY – this is a good, lean protein source: two-plus servings a week.
- RED WINE in moderation; one glass daily (this is optional).
And the five categories of food considered unhealthy are: red meat; butter and margarine; cheese; pastries and sweets as well as fried or fast foods.
One serving (or less) per week of these foods are recommended.
How common vaccines and Viagra may protect you
There are currently more than 130 medications for dementia in development, says Vanessa Raymont, an associate professor in psychiatry at the University of Oxford.
A new group of drugs, including lecanemab and donanemab, that target early Alzheimer’s disease, have grabbed the headlines. But while these have been approved in the UK, they only modestly slow the progression of the disease by clearing amyloid plaques. They haven’t been approved for NHS use because they can have serious side-effects (including brain swelling and bleeding) and aren’t deemed cost-effective. Patients also need ongoing monitoring.
One promising area is repurposing existing drugs. Studies suggest that drugs such as the shingles vaccine and Viagra (used to treat erectile dysfunction) may reduce dementia risk.
Shingles can inflame the nervous system or cause blood vessel damage in the brain, which may contribute to cognitive decline and dementia.
A major review of previous studies, published in Age and Ageing in 2025, found that vaccinating against herpes zoster (shingles) was associated with a 24 per cent lower risk of any dementia and a 47 per cent lower risk of Alzheimer’s.
But vaccines generally – flu, pneumococcal, tetanus, diphtheria and whooping cough vaccines – are also linked to a reduction in dementia.
A 2022 review of studies, published in Frontiers in Immunology (involving more than 1.8 million participants) found that vaccines were linked with a 35 per cent reduced dementia risk – this was most notable with vaccines for flu, shingles, pneumococcal, tetanus, diphtheria, whooping cough, hepatitis A and B and rabies.
One theory is that vaccines help by reducing infections that can increase brain inflammation.
With Viagra, a reduced likelihood of developing dementia is thought to be because the drug increases the flow of blood, which could also improve blood flow and signalling between cells in the brain – however, more studies are needed.
Trials involving GLP-1 weight-loss drugs have had mixed results. Last April, a US study of 400,000 middle-
aged and older people with type 2 diabetes, but who didn’t have dementia symptoms, found those who were taking semaglutide (Wegovy and Ozempic) were less likely to develop dementia than the general population.
However, a later study by the pharmaceutical firm Novo Nordisk found semaglutide failed to stop the progress of Alzheimer’s in those with mild cognitive impairment.
Other trials are now under way.
