Hostname: page-component-6bf8c574d5-r4mrb Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-03-11T17:24:45.501Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
Accepted manuscript

Assessing the Association Between the Mediterranean, DASH, and MIND Dietary Patterns, Structural Connectivity, and Cognitive Function

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 February 2025

Lizanne Arnoldy*
Affiliation:
Centre for Mental Health and Brain Sciences, Swinburne University, Melbourne Australia
Sarah Gauci
Affiliation:
Centre for Mental Health and Brain Sciences, Swinburne University, Melbourne Australia IMPACT - the Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation, Food & Mood Centre, School of Medicine, Deakin University, Geelong, Australia
Lauren M. Young
Affiliation:
Centre of Research Excellence (CRE), Monash University, Melbourne Australia
Helen Macpherson
Affiliation:
Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition (IPAN), School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC Australia
Oren Civier
Affiliation:
Centre for Mental Health and Brain Sciences, Swinburne University, Melbourne Australia
Andrew Scholey
Affiliation:
Centre for Mental Health and Brain Sciences, Swinburne University, Melbourne Australia
Andrew Pipingas
Affiliation:
Centre for Mental Health and Brain Sciences, Swinburne University, Melbourne Australia
David J. White
Affiliation:
Centre for Mental Health and Brain Sciences, Swinburne University, Melbourne Australia
*
Correspondence: Lizanne Arnoldy, Centre for Mental Health and Brain Sciences, Mail H24, Swinburne University of Technology, PO Box 218, Hawthorn VIC 3122. Email: [email protected]. Phone: +31 629156330
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

The rising incidence of neurodegenerative diseases in an ageing global population has shifted research focus toward modifiable risk factors, such as diet. Despite potential links between dietary patterns and brain health, inconsistencies in neuroimaging outcomes underscore a gap in understanding how diet impacts brain ageing. This study explores the relationship between three dietary patterns—Mediterranean (MeDi), Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH), and Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay (MIND)—and cognitive outcomes as well as brain connectivity. The study aimed to assess the association of these diets with brain structure and cognitive function, involving a middle-aged healthy group and an older cohort with subjective cognitive decline (SCD). The study included cognitive assessments and diffusion-weighted MRI data to analyse white matter microstructural integrity. Participants comprised 55 older individuals with SCD (54.5% female, mean age = 64) and 52 healthy middle-aged individuals (48.1% female, mean age = 53). Age inversely correlated with certain cognitive functions and global brain metrics, across both cohorts. Adherence to the MeDi, DASH, and MIND diets showed no significant cognitive or global brain metric improvements after adjusting for covariates (age, education, BMI). Network-based statistics (NBS) analysis revealed differences in brain subnetworks based on DASH diet adherence levels in the SCD cohort. In the healthy cohort, lower white matter connectivity was associated with reduced adherence to MIND and DASH diets. Ultimately, the study found no strong evidence connecting dietary patterns to cognitive or brain connectivity outcomes. Future research should focus on longitudinal studies and refine dietary assessments.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of The Nutrition Society