Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s & Neurodegenerative Diseases at UT Health San Antonio, Boston University School of Medicine and the Framingham Heart Study have found that higher scores on the Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII) are associated with an increased incidence of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease (AD).

Their findings are published in ‘Alzheimer’s & Dementia’. Diet has been identified as a potential avenue for reducing dementia risk.

Previous observational studies have linked antiinflammatory diets, such as the Mediterranean and MIND diets, with slower cognitive decline and lower dementia risk.

While the Mediterranean Diet emphasises plant-based foods and healthy fats in which common foods include veggies, fruits and whole grains, the MIND diet emphasises foods that are linked to neuroprotection and dementia prevention, featuring vegetables, especially green leafy vegetables such as spinach, romaine lettuce and kale; berries over other fruit; and beans, nuts, and one or more weekly servings of fish.