MIND Diet Adherence and Parkinson's Disease Risk, Progression, and Age at Onset: A Systematic Review

The Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay (MIND) diet has been associated with cognitive benefits, but its relationship with Parkinson's disease (PD) remains unclear. We systematically reviewed evidence on associations between MIND diet adherence and PD-related outcomes.

PubMed, Embase, and Google Scholar were searched through June 2026. Eligible observational and interventional studies evaluated MIND diet adherence in relation to PD risk, incident parkinsonism, disease progression, severity, or age at onset. Study quality was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. In case of substantial heterogeneity, findings were synthesized qualitatively.

CRD420251123365.

Five observational studies (73,790 participants) were included. Higher MIND diet adherence was associated with lower incident parkinsonism (HR 0.89, 95% CI 0.83-0.96), slower progression of parkinsonian signs, lower PD incidence (HR 0.75, 95% CI 0.58-0.97), and later PD onset. One study found no association with PD risk or progression, whereas another reported lower patient-reported symptom burden with greater MIND diet adherence. Three studies were rated poor quality and one good quality. Certainty of evidence was low for PD incidence and very low for all other outcomes. Quantitative synthesis was not performed because of heterogeneity in outcomes, designs, and effect measures.

Evidence linking MIND diet adherence to PD is limited and observational. Higher adherence may be associated with lower incident parkinsonism, slower progression, reduced PD incidence in selected women, and later PD onset. However, certainty of evidence was low to very low, precluding causal inference. Prospective cohorts and randomized dietary trials are needed.