In This ArticleView AllIn This ArticleHow Was This Study Conducted?What Did This Study Find?How Does This Apply to Real Life?
In This ArticleView All
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In This Article
How Was This Study Conducted?
What Did This Study Find?
How Does This Apply to Real Life?
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Photo:Getty Images. EatingWell design.
Getty Images. EatingWell design.
We all forget things now and then—people’s names, where you put your car keys, that dentist appointment that was scheduled before you got your new calendar. As we age, forgetfulness may worsen and begin to disrupt thinking abilities. This is referred to as mild cognitive impairment (MCI).While MCI can be annoying, it typically doesn’t interfere with being able to complete everyday tasks. With that said, MCI can also be an early warning sign of future dementia—more serious memory and cognitive impairments that interfere with everyday life.
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Several factors besides age can cause MCI, including a lack of quality sleep, medications, family history of Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia and conditions that raise the risk of heart disease—like high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
Historically, research has suggested 11% to 14% of men and 19% to 23% of women in the U.S. will develop dementia during their lifetimes.But researchers from several institutions, including NYU Langone Health, Johns Hopkins University and the Mayo Clinic, teamed up for a new study to challenge these numbers. Their findings, published in January 2025 inNature Medicine, may surprise you.
Researchers pulled participant data from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study, a long-running study from 1987 to 2020. There were just over 15,000 participants included in the study with an average age of 55 when the study began. All were free of dementia. About 27% of the participants were black, 55% were women, and approximately 31% of the participants carried at least one type of APOE4 gene—a gene variant that increases one’s genetic risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.
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After running several statistical analyses, key findings stood out to these researchers.
But why?
For starters, these researchers note that previous studies may not have accurately recorded the number of dementia cases. This is because, according to them, researchers previously relied on cognitive testing at study visits and medical and death records to identify dementia cases. But, they point out, people with cognitive impairments are less likely to attend in-person assessments, which means that many cases may have been missed, resulting in under-reporting.
The researchers also surmise that Black people may have higher rates of dementia compared to white people due to comparatively lower socioeconomic conditions in which less education and lack of proper nutrition earlier in life may predispose them to higher rates of dementia later in life. As for women, they may have higher rates of dementia than men simply because women tend to live longer. The older you are, the higher your risk for dementia, so some men simply aren’t living long enough to develop dementia.
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Brain health is important at every age. We know that changes in the brain begin decades before symptoms of dementia show up. This means that prevention is a great, approachable goal—and it’s never too early to begin.
There are also certain heart conditions thatraise the risk of dementia—including atrial fibrillation, coronary heart disease and heart failure (a weakening of the heart muscle). So it makes sense that conditions that increase your risk of heart disease—high cholesterol, high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes—would also increase your risk of dementia.
Another common denominator between heart and brain health is inflammation.Chronic inflammationis a culprit behind many diseases, including heart disease, cancer, diabetes, arthritis and, yes, dementia.
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What does an anti-inflammatory diet include? Put simply—lots of whole foods that provide fiber, healthy fats, lean protein and a wide spectrum of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. More specifically, this includes whole grains, nuts, seeds, sources of lean protein, fruits, vegetables, legumes and healthy oils, like olive oil. This also includessources of omega-3s, including seafood—salmon, tuna and shrimp—and plant-based sources—walnuts, flaxseeds and chia seeds. Fermented dairy, like yogurt and kefir, also fit into an anti-inflammatory meal pattern, as do herbs and spices.
Foods that tend to be inflammatory and should be limited or avoided include excessive added sugar, highly processed foods, processed meats and foods with artificial additives. And while the evidence is mixed, there is plenty to suggestalcohol increases dementia risk, too.
TheMediterranean diet, DASH diet and MIND diet are all examples of anti-inflammatory diets. TheMIND dietis a fusion of the Mediterranean and DASH diets and is specifically designed for brain health. If this all seems overwhelming, we’ve gotplenty of recipesto help you get started on your brain health journey.
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The Bottom Line
Researchers predict that dementia cases in the U.S. will double over the next 35 years.Healthy habits nowcan help stave off dementia and other cognitive issues later on. This includes eating a healthy diet with a variety of foods, engaging in regular physical activity, getting plenty of quality sleep, managing your stressors andspending time with peopleyou love.
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SourcesEatingWell uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable and trustworthy.Alzheimer’s Association.Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI).Alzheimer’s Association.Can Alzheimer’s disease be prevented?.Fang M, Hu J, Weiss J et al.Lifetime risk and projected burden of dementia.Nat Med.2025. doi:10.1038/s41591-024-03340-9
Sources
EatingWell uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable and trustworthy.Alzheimer’s Association.Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI).Alzheimer’s Association.Can Alzheimer’s disease be prevented?.Fang M, Hu J, Weiss J et al.Lifetime risk and projected burden of dementia.Nat Med.2025. doi:10.1038/s41591-024-03340-9
EatingWell uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable and trustworthy.
Alzheimer’s Association.Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI).Alzheimer’s Association.Can Alzheimer’s disease be prevented?.Fang M, Hu J, Weiss J et al.Lifetime risk and projected burden of dementia.Nat Med.2025. doi:10.1038/s41591-024-03340-9
Alzheimer’s Association.Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI).
Alzheimer’s Association.Can Alzheimer’s disease be prevented?.
Fang M, Hu J, Weiss J et al.Lifetime risk and projected burden of dementia.Nat Med.2025. doi:10.1038/s41591-024-03340-9
