Mediterranean and MIND diets track with cognitive benefits in MS
U.K. study finds links to better processing speed, memory, and reasoning
- Mediterranean and MIND diets were associated with better cognitive performance in people with MS.
- These eating patterns were tied to faster processing speed, better memory, and stronger reasoning skills.
- Benefits were were most pronounced in progressive MS and in relapsing MS patients not taking disease-modifying treatments.
Adherence to either the Mediterranean or the Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay (MIND) diets was associated with better performance in certain areas of thinking and memory among people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a U.K. study suggests.
The Mediterranean diet reflects foods traditionally eaten in countries around the Mediterranean Sea. It emphasizes fruits, vegetables, legumes, fish, and olive oil, while limiting red meat, sweets, and dairy products. The MIND diet combines elements of the Mediterranean and Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diets, and includes food thought to support brain health, such as green leafy vegetables, nuts, and berries.
Links between the Mediterranean and MIND diets and cognitive performance were stronger in people with progressive MS than in those with relapsing MS. Among people with relapsing MS, associations between MIND diet scores and cognitive performance were stronger in those not taking disease-modifying treatments (DMTs).
“Overall, these results suggest that greater alignment with Mediterranean and MIND diets may be associated with better cognitive performance in people living with MS,” the researchers concluded.
The study, “Mediterranean and MIND Dietary Patterns and Cognitive Performance in Multiple Sclerosis: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of the UK Multiple Sclerosis Register,” was published in Nutrients.
Cognitive issues in MS spark growing interest in diet research
More than half of people with MS experience some level of cognitive impairment, including difficulties with thinking, memory, reasoning, and problem-solving. While these issues are often mild, they can progress in some individuals.
With growing interest in non-drug strategies to support brain health, researchers are increasingly studying how dietary patterns — including the Mediterranean and MIND diets — may play a role in cognitive function for people with MS.
While no specific diet is recommended for MS, maintaining a balanced, nutrient-rich eating pattern may help support overall well-being.
In this study, researchers used data from the UK MS Register to examine how closely people with MS followed the Mediterranean and MIND diets and how these patterns related to performance on cognitive tests in 967 people with MS.
Participants completed the EPIC-Norfolk FFQ, a questionnaire that asks how often different foods were eaten over the past year. Based on the responses, the researchers calculated Mediterranean and MIND diet scores, with higher scores reflecting closer adherence to each diet.
Cognition was assessed using the Cognitron-MS (C-MS) battery, which measures overall cognitive performance and four subdomains: object memory, problem-solving, information processing speed, and word memory.
The team then used statistical models to evaluate whether people with higher diet scores had different cognitive outcomes, adjusting for factors such as MS type and DMT use.
Results showed that people whose eating habits most closely matched the Mediterranean or MIND diets scored higher in specific cognitive areas, but not in overall cognition.
Higher Mediterranean diet scores were associated with faster information-processing speed and better verbal reasoning and knowledge. Compared with the lowest-scoring patients, those with higher Mediterranean diet scores performed better on simple reaction time tasks and verbal tasks such as analogies and word definitions.
MIND diet effects were strongest in progressive MS
Higher MIND scores were also associated with faster information-processing speed and better word memory and problem-solving performance. In particular, moderate adherence to the MIND diet was linked to better short- and medium-term verbal recognition memory.
Connections between MIND diet scores and cognitive performance were stronger and more consistent in people with progressive MS than in relapsing MS. In this group, moderate adherence to the MIND diet was associated with better immediate word memory.
In relapsing MS, the relationship between MIND diet scores and cognition varied depending on whether patients were using DMTs. Higher MIND scores were linked to better cognitive performance in people not taking DMTs, compared with those who were.
As for limitations, researchers wrote that it’s possible “individuals with better cognitive function were more likely to adhere to healthier diets, rather than dietary adherence influencing cognitive performance.” They also pointed out that other lifestyle factors — such as exercise, smoking, and sleep — were not included in the analyses, and that diet data were self-reported, requiring participants to recall what they had eaten over the prior year.
“This cross-sectional study found greater alignment with Mediterranean and MIND dietary patterns … were associated with better cognitive scores,” the researchers wrote. “Our findings indicate future MS-related dietary studies … examining cognitive function domains across different MS subgroups are warranted.”
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