Share on Facebook
Share on Twitter
Share on LinkedIn
Share by Email
Print
| The following article is part of conference coverage from the 2018 American Academy of Neurology Annual Meeting in Los Angeles, California. Neurology Advisor’s staff will be reporting breaking news associated with research conducted by leading experts in neurology. Check back for the latest news from AAN 2018. |
LOS ANGELES — High adherence with the MIND diet, a combination of the Mediterranean and DASH diets, was associated with a slower rate of cognitive decline among stroke survivors, according to data presented at the annual American Academy of Neurology meeting from April 21-27, 2018, in Los Angeles, California.
Investigators from Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, Illinois, assessed annually 108 participants from an observational prospective cohort study with a history of stroke for an average of 4.7 years of follow-up. Cognition in 5 cognitive domains was assessed using structured clinical evaluations from 19 cognitive tests.
The MIND diet included dietary components such as whole grains, leafy green and other vegetables, berries, beans, nuts, lean meats, fish, poultry, and olive oil. The diet also incorporated less consumption of regular cheese, butter, and sweets.
The researchers calculated MIND diet scores using a valid food frequency questionnaire, and the scores were sorted into tertiles. The change in global cognitive score was regressed on baseline MIND scores using linear mixed models that were adjusted for age and other potential confounders.
Age-adjusted results showed that the top tertile of MIND diet scores vs the lowest tertile of scores was positively associated with a slower rate of global cognitive decline (P =.02). The association remained unchanged after further adjustments for sex, education, presence of the apo-E4 gene, late-life cognitive activity, caloric intake, physical activity, and smoking status (P =.03).
“A dietary intervention trial would be necessary to validate the role of the diet in long-term outcomes for stroke survivors,” the investigators noted.
For more coverage of AAN 2018, click here.
Reference
Cherian L, Wang Y, Fukuda K, Leurgans S, Aggarwal N, Morris MC. MIND diet slows cognitive decline in stroke survivors. Presented at: 2018 AAN Annual Meeting; April 21-27, 2018; Los Angeles, CA. Poster 216.
