Association Between MIND Diet Adherence and Mortality: Insights from Diabetic and Non-Diabetic Cohorts

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Evidence on the protective role of the MIND (Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay) diet in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is limited. This study aimed to estimate the impact of MIND diet adherence on mortality in individuals with and without T2DM. SUBJECTS/METHODS: A cohort of 6887 NHANES participants (1021 with T2DM) was analyzed. Exposure was adherence to the MIND diet. Primary outcomes were all-cause and cardiovascular (CV) mortality. RESULTS: Over a median 10-year follow-up, 1087 all-cause deaths and 377 CV deaths were documented. Among participants with T2DM, a high MIND score (>8.0; observed range 4.5–13) was associated with significantly lower risk of all-cause death (HR 0.75, 95% CI: 0.59–0.96, P=0.021) and CV death (HR 0.50, 95% CI: 0.29–0.87, P=0.014) compared with low MIND score (≤8.0). In non-T2DM participants, a high MIND score was associated with reduced all-cause mortality (HR 0.83, 95% CI: 0.70–0.99, P<0.001), while the association with CV mortality was not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Adherence to the MIND diet was associated with decreased risks of all-cause and CV mortality in patients with T2DM, highlighting potential benefits of the MIND diet in managing and improving outcomes in T2DM.

Yanjun Song, Zhenge Chang, Chenxi Song, Kongyong Cui, Boqun Shi, Rui Zhang, Qiuting Dong, Kefei Dou