High-quality Plant-based Diets Linked To Lower Dementia Risk

Eating a higher value plant-based fare is associated pinch a little consequence of Alzheimer's illness and different related dementias compared to eating a little value plant-based diet, according to a study published April 8, 2026, in Neurology®, nan aesculapian diary of the American Academy of Neurology. While nan study shows an relation based connected observations, it does not beryllium that a higher value plant-based fare causes a little consequence of dementia.

Researchers looked astatine 3 plant-based diets. The wide plant-based fare prioritizes eating much works foods than animal products for illustration meat, beverage and eggs, without looking astatine quality. The healthful plant-based fare prioritizes patient works foods for illustration full grains, fruits, vegetables, rootlike oils, nuts, legumes and beverage and coffee. The unhealthful plant-based fare includes little patient works foods for illustration refined grains, consequence juices, potatoes and added sugars. Researchers did not look astatine vegetarian aliases vegan diets.

"Plant-based diets person been shown to beryllium beneficial successful reducing nan consequence of diseases for illustration glucosuria and precocious humor pressure, but little is known astir nan consequence of Alzheimer's illness and different dementias," said study writer Song-Yi Park, PhD, of nan University of Hawaii astatine Manoa's Cancer Center successful Honolulu. "Our study recovered that nan value of a plant-based fare mattered, pinch a higher value fare associated pinch a reduced risk, and a little value fare associated pinch an accrued risk."

The study progressive 92,849 group pinch an mean property of 59 astatine nan commencement of nan study. It included African American, Japanese American, Latino, Native Hawaiian and achromatic participants. They were followed for an mean of 11 years. During that time, 21,478 group developed Alzheimer's illness aliases different related dementia.

Participants completed nutrient questionnaires astatine nan commencement of nan study. Researchers wished really good people's diets resembled nan wide plant-based diet, nan healthful plant-based fare and nan unhealthful plant-based diet, by reviewing really galore patient and little patient works foods they ate, arsenic good arsenic animal fats, meat, dairy, eggs, food and seafood. Participants were each fixed 3 scores based connected really intimately they followed nan 3 plant-based diets.

Researchers past classed nan participants into 5 subgroups for each of nan 3 fare scores.

After adjusting for factors for illustration age, beingness activity and diabetes, researchers recovered that erstwhile comparing group based connected their people for nan wide plant-based diet, nan apical subgroup who ate nan astir works foods had a 12% little consequence of dementia compared to nan lowest subgroup. When group were compared based connected their people for nan healthful plant-based diet, nan apical subgroup had a 7% little consequence compared to nan lowest subgroup. And erstwhile compared based connected their people for nan unhealthful plant-based diet, nan apical subgroup who ate nan astir unhealthy works foods had a 6% higher consequence of dementia than nan lowest subgroup.

Among a smaller group of 45,065 participants who reported their fare again aft 10 years, 8,360 participants later developed dementia. Researchers looked astatine fare changes complete time. When compared to group whose diets didn't change, group whose diets changed nan astir toward pursuing an unhealthful fare had a 25% higher consequence of dementia while those whose diets changed nan astir distant from pursuing an unhealthful fare had an 11% little risk.

"We recovered that adopting a plant-based diet, moreover starting astatine an older age, and refraining from low-quality plant-based diets were associated pinch a little consequence of Alzheimer's and different dementias," said Park. "Our findings item that it is important not only to travel a plant-based diet, but besides to guarantee that nan fare is of precocious quality."

A limitation of nan study was that researchers evaluated nan diets based connected nutrient questionnaires completed by participants, but participants whitethorn not retrieve each item of their diets accurately.

The study was supported by nan National Institute connected Aging and nan National Cancer Institute astatine nan National Institutes of Health.