Want To Prevent Cognitive Decline? Eat This Kind Of Diet, Research Suggests

For this study, researchers wanted to see if there was a connection between eating a particular diet in midlife and cognitive decline later on. To find out, they analyzed 30 years of data from over 5,000 women enrolled in the NYU Women's Health Study.

Data collection began between 1985 and 1991, when the average age of the participants was 49. They filled out questionnaires on their diets over the years, as well as reported any cognitive complaints. Those complaints were assessed using standard questions that indicate cognitive impairment and dementia.

By the end of the study, 33% of the participants reported having more than one of six standard cognitive complaints. But the women who had been adhering closely to the DASH diet, on the other hand, were less likely to have those complaints (17% less likely, to be exact.)

In case you've never heard of it, DASH stands for "Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension" and is a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, lean protein, and whole grains, while limiting cholesterol, sodium, sugar, and saturated fat. As the name suggests, it's designed to promote heart health, which has long been understood to be a risk factor for cognitive decline.

Whether you want to prevent cognitive decline, mind your heart health, or both, this research suggests the DASH diet might just help you do so.

As lead study author Yixiao Song notes, "Our data suggest that it is important to start a healthy diet in midlife to prevent cognitive impairment in older age," with co-author Fen Wu, Ph.D., adding, "Following the DASH diet may not only prevent high blood pressure but also cognitive issues."

The good news is, the DASH diet is a fairly straightforward diet, prioritizing whole, nutrient-dense foods and avoiding common diet culprits like sugar, sodium, and saturated fats. And the sooner you can start, the better.

Protecting cognitive performance as we age is vital for living well longer, and you're never too old–or too young—to start taking those measures. Based on these findings, you can start with the food on your plate.