Alzheimer’s disease is characterised by memory loss and gradual cognitive decline. Within the U.S., around one in nine older adults live with this condition, sometimes even without their knowledge. The disease has been the main focus of research for years, with doctors trying to search out out the right medication and weight loss program to treat the symptoms.

The MIND weight loss program has now secured a well-liked spot in treating Alzheimer’s after being widely really useful by experts. The weight loss program, which was engineered by combining the Mediterranean and the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) weight loss program, may also help alter the damage to brain cells, say researchers.

Alzheimer’s disease is linked to protein deposits called beta-amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary within the brain. These are considered to spell great damage to the brain cells and cause cognitive impairment. However the magnitude of the brain’s susceptibility to the disease relies on the variety of brain pathologies or cognitive resilience. Studies have shown the MIND weight loss program can decelerate cognitive decline in older adults, who’ve fairly weaker brain pathology levels.

Recently a team from the Rush University in Chicago conducted a comparative study with individuals who followed the MIND weight loss program, and people who stuck to the Mediterranean weight loss program, CNN reported. The findings of the study suggested that individuals who launched into either of the diets had an almost 40% lower possibility of getting enough plaques and tangles in brain tissue to be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.

The study, published in Neurology, monitored the diets of 581 elderly individuals with a median age of 84. The research was conducted on individuals who had donated their bodies to Rush University as a part of their Memory and Aging Project.

Annually throughout the span of the study, the elderly participants got a questionnaire asking them how much brain-healthy food they ate until they died. And after they passed, researchers looked into their brains to measure the variety of amyloid plaques or tau tangles that built up. Unsurprisingly, they found individuals who incorporated more leafy greens into their diets had much less plaque build-up.

“Individuals who scored highest for adhering to the Mediterranean weight loss program had average plaque and tangle amounts of their brains much like being 18 years younger than individuals who scored lowest,” CNN reported, quoting a press release on the study. “Researchers also found individuals who scored highest for adhering to the MIND weight loss program had average plaque and tangle amounts much like being 12 years younger than those that scored lowest.”

The study also noted that adding only one food option from either diet–such as eating the targeted amounts of veggies or fruits–had a bearing on cutting down amyloid buildup within the brain to the purpose the brain looks 4 years younger.

“Doing an easy dietary modification, corresponding to adding more greens, berries, whole grains, olive oil, and fish, can actually delay your onset of Alzheimer’s disease or reduce your risk of dementia whenever you’re growing old,” the study creator Puja Agarwal, told CNN. Agarwal emphasized on eating more berries on top of leafy greens to maximise the advantages.

The ten foods that the combined weight loss program encourages are as follows:

• Green veggies
• All other veggies
• Nuts
• Olive oil
• Whole grains
• Fish
• Beans
• Poultry
• Wine