MIND Dietary Pattern Adherence Is Selectively Associated with Cognitive Processing Speed in Middle-Aged Adults

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Nutritional Science
• Cognitive Psychology

Background:

• Previous research on diet and neurocognition predominantly used single-nutrient approaches, neglecting the impact of dietary patterns.
• The influence of dietary patterns on cognitive health remains underinvestigated, highlighting a gap in current understanding.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between adherence to various diet indices (Mediterranean, DASH, HEI-2015, MIND) and cognitive functions, specifically attentional inhibition and neuroelectric activity.
• To assess how different dietary patterns relate to information processing speed and cognitive control.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving 207 adults (mean age 34.1 years) assessed dietary intake using the DHQII FFQ.
• Attentional inhibition was measured using a modified Eriksen flanker task, with event-related potentials (ERPs), specifically P3/P300 amplitude and latency, recorded.
• P3 latency and amplitude were used as neurophysiological markers for information processing speed and attentional resource allocation, respectively.

Main Results:

• Greater adherence to the Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay (MIND) diet was significantly associated with faster P3 peak latency during incongruent flanker trials (indicating faster information processing speed).
• No significant associations were found between adherence to Mediterranean, DASH, or HEI-2015 diets and P3 latency.
• No significant associations were observed between any diet indices and behavioral measures of attentional inhibition (accuracy, reaction time) or P3 amplitude.

Conclusions:

• Higher adherence to the MIND diet is selectively linked to enhanced information processing speed in middle-aged adults across a range of BMIs.
• The benefits of the MIND diet on processing speed may be more pronounced under conditions of increased cognitive control demand.
• Further intervention studies are recommended to confirm the MIND diet's efficacy in supporting cognitive function and inform healthy cognitive aging recommendations.