A new University of Hawaiʻi Cancer Center study found that people who followed a dietary pattern known as the MIND diet were significantly less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease or related forms of dementia—even if they made brain-healthy food choices later in life.
Eating more plant-based, nutrient-rich foods—even later in life—can protect your brain.
—Song-Yi Park
The MIND diet—short for Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay—combines elements of the Mediterranean and DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diets. It emphasizes proven brain-healthy foods like leafy greens, berries, nuts and olive oil. The study is based on data from nearly 93,000 U.S. adults in the Multiethnic Cohort (MEC), a landmark study co-led by the UH Cancer Center and the University of Southern California.
“Our study findings confirm that healthy dietary patterns in mid to late life and their improvement over time may prevent Alzheimer’s and related dementias,“ said lead author Song-Yi Park, professor in the UH Cancer Center’s Population Sciences in the Pacific Program.
Improving diet over time shows major benefits
Participants were aged 45–75 at baseline, and more than 21,000 developed dementia during the follow-up years. Those who improved their adherence to the MIND diet over 10 years had a 25% lower risk of dementia compared to those whose adherence declined.
“The take-home message is encouraging,” Park said. “It’s never too late to make changes. Eating more plant-based, nutrient-rich foods—even later in life—can protect your brain.”
Diet-dementia link varies by race, ethnicity
The results showed a stronger risk reduction among African American, Latino and White participants, but not among Native Hawaiian or Asian American groups. Researchers believe cultural dietary patterns and naturally lower dementia rates in some populations may explain the differences.
Related UH News story: Dementia risk factors differ among ethnicities
“We found that the protective relationship between a healthy diet and dementia was more pronounced among African Americans, Latinos and Whites, while it was not as apparent among Asian Americans and showed a weaker trend in Native Hawaiians,” Park said.
The findings, released during Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month, were presented at NUTRITION 2025, the annual meeting of the American Society for Nutrition. Authors included four UH Cancer Center researchers, Park, Lynne R. Wilkens, Loїc Le Marchand and Unhee Lim, and collaborators from USC and the Pacific Health Research and Education Institute.
“This study highlights the power of large datasets and research generated by our University of Hawaiʻi Cancer Center researchers,” said UH Cancer Center Director Naoto T. Ueno. “These findings offer guidance and hope.”
