Adherence to the MIND diet is associated with 12-year all-cause mortality in older adults

Objective: To prospectively evaluate the association of three dietary patterns: the MIND (Mediterranean-DASH diet intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay) diet; a Mediterranean-type diet; and a traditional diet, with all-cause mortality over a 12-year period in an older sample.

Design: A longitudinal birth cohort study. We ascertained dietary patterns using food frequency questionnaire data at baseline (2004-2007) and mortality using linkage data. Cox regression was used to estimate mortality hazard ratios (HRs) with adjustment for confounders.

Setting: The Lothian Birth Cohort 1936 (LBC1936) study in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Participants: Dietary patterns were ascertained in 882 participants, mean age 69.5 (+ 0.8) years, at baseline. During the 12-year follow-up (to October 2019), 206 deaths occurred.

Results: In the basic-adjusted model, all three dietary patterns were significantly associated with mortality; the MIND diet and Mediterranean-type diet with a lower risk; and the traditional diet with a higher risk. In fully-adjusted models, MIND diet score was inversely related to all-cause mortality (HR: 0.88; 95% CI: 0.79, 0.97) such that the risk of death was reduced by 12% per unit increase in MIND diet score. Participants in the top compared with the bottom third of MIND diet score had a 37% lower risk of death (HR: 0.63; 95% CI: 0.41, 0.96). No significant associations with the Mediterranean-type or traditional dietary patterns were observed in the final multivariate model.

Conclusions: Our findings suggest that closer adherence to the MIND diet is associated with a significantly lower risk of all-cause mortality, over 12 years of follow-up, and may constitute a valid public health recommendation for prolonged survival.