Adopting the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension diet can lead to fewer cognitive complaints later in life, according to a large-scale observational study conducted by researchers at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine. 
 
The findings, published online in Alzheimer’s and Dementia, have significant implications for women, who make up more than two thirds of those diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. It’s expected that there will be twice as many Americans diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2060 as there were in 2022, when there were 6.5 million diagnoses.
 
“Subjective complaints about daily cognitive performance are early predictors of more serious neurocognitive disorders such as Alzheimer’s,” said Yu Chen, PhD, MPH, professor in the department of population health and lead author of the study. “With more than 30 years follow-up, we found that the stronger the adherence to a DASH diet in midlife, the less likely women are to report cognitive issues much later in life.”

The DASH diet is characterized by a high consumption of plant-based foods rich in potassium, calcium, and magnesium, and limited saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, and sugar. High blood pressure, particularly in midlife, is considered a risk factor for cognitive decline and dementia.
 
Study Details
 
The authors of the study relied on data from the NYU Women’s Health Study, one of the longest-running studies of its kind that examines the impact of lifestyle and other factors on the development of cancer and other chronic conditions.
 
They analyzed data from 5,116 of the over 14,000 participants, who took part in questionnaires between 1985 and 1991 at a mean age of 49. The participants were then followed for more than 30 years to a mean age of 79 and were asked to report cognitive complaints. Those who didn’t return questionnaires were contacted by phone.
 
Self-reported cognitive complaints were assessed using six validated, standard questions indicative of later mild cognitive impairment, which leads to dementia. The questions were about difficulties remembering recent events or shopping lists, understanding spoken instructions or group conversation, or navigating familiar streets.
 
Of the six cognitive complaints, 33% of women reported having more than one. Women who adhered most closely to the DASH diet had a 17% reduction in the odds of reporting multiple cognitive complaints.
 
“Our data suggest that it is important to start a healthy diet in midlife to prevent cognitive impairment in older age,” said Yixiao Song , a lead author of the study.

“Following the DASH diet may not only prevent high blood pressure, but also cognitive issues,” said Fen Wu, PhD, an senior associate research scientist and co-lead author of the study.

According to the investigators, future research should span across multiple racial and ethnic groups in order to determine whether the findings can be generalized to the entire women’s population.