Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative condition with a growing impact on public health. Current pharmacological therapies offer limited benefits; for this reason, in recent years there has been increasing interest in exploring the role of dietary interventions and lifestyle in modulating the pathological processes associated with the disease.
What is the MIND diet?
The MIND Diet (Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay) is a dietary pattern that combines elements of the Mediterranean diet and the DASH diet, focusing on neuroprotective foods such as:
- Vegetables (especially leafy greens),
- Fruit,
- Fish,
- Nuts,
- Olive oil,
- Legumes,
- Whole grains.
Several epidemiological studies suggest that this diet, combined with a healthy lifestyle, can reduce cognitive decline and the risk of Alzheimer's.
Study objective
The work published in Nutrients analyzed whether a nutritional intervention based on the MIND diet can:
- Improve adherence to the Mediterranean diet, and
- Modulate the composition of the gut microbiota in people with Alzheimer's compared to healthy controls.
Methodology
- 60 participants (30 with Alzheimer's, 30 cognitively healthy controls),
- Assessments at baseline (T0) and after dietary counseling (T1),
- Measurement of dietary adherence using the MEDAS questionnaire,
- Analysis of the gut microbiota through 16S rRNA sequencing.
Main results
→ Better adherence to the Mediterranean diet in subjects with Alzheimer's after the MIND program: more vegetables consumed daily and reduced butter on the plate.
→ Significant changes in the microbiota in the Alzheimer's group:
- Increase in microbial diversity (a parameter associated with a more resilient microbiota),
- Increase in species linked to the production of SCFA (short-chain fatty acids), such as Anaerobutyricum hallii and Blautia luti, which are positive for gut health,
- Reduction of taxa associated with dysbiosis and mucin degradation.
→ The control group, already with good Mediterranean adherence at baseline, showed less marked changes in MEDAS scores and bacterial composition.
Why is it important?
The results indicate that a structured dietary intervention like the MIND diet can:
- Promote positive changes in eating habits even in patients with Alzheimer's,
- Influence the diversity and composition of the gut microbiota — potentially linked to mechanisms of the microbiota-gut-brain axis.
These microbial changes, including the increase in SCFA-producing species, have been associated in other studies with metabolic and immune benefits and — through microbiota-brain communication pathways — possible effects on cognitive functions (although larger and controlled studies are needed to confirm a direct clinical effect).
Conclusions and perspectives
This observational study suggests that non-restrictive dietary interventions can strengthen the Mediterranean diet in people with Alzheimer's, and that the gut microbiota is sensitive to such interventions and could represent a modifiable target in the future.
Randomized studies on larger samples are needed to confirm the impact on the clinical course of the disease.