(OR11-02-26) The Effect of the MIND Dietary Education on Cognitive Function in Middle-Aged and Older Adults: A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial

Sunday, July 26, 2026

2:42 PM - 2:54 PM ET

Location: National Harbor 10-11

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Co-Author(s)

MZ

Mengjia Zhao, PhD Candidate

866, Yuhangtang Road, Hangzhou 310058, China
Center of Clinical Big Data and Analytics of the Second Affiliated Hospital and School of Public Health, Zhejiang University School of Medicine
Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China (People's Republic)
YL

Yuhui Li

Center of Clinical Big Data and Analytics of the Second Affiliated Hospital and School of Public Health, Zhejiang University School of Medicine; Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Intelligent Preventive Medicine, China (People's Republic)
SZ

Shuai Zhang

Shandong University, Cheeloo College of Medicine, School of Public Health, China (People's Republic)
XZ

Xiaofeng Zhang

Shandong University, Cheeloo College of Medicine, School of Public Health, China (People's Republic)
SS

Siya Shan

Center of Clinical Big Data and Analytics of the Second Affiliated Hospital and School of Public Health, Zhejiang University School of Medicine; Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Intelligent Preventive Medicine, China (People's Republic)
TS

Ting Shen

Center of Clinical Big Data and Analytics of the Second Affiliated Hospital and School of Public Health, Zhejiang University School of Medicine; Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Intelligent Preventive Medicine, China (People's Republic)
CT

Chenjia Tang

The First Affiliated Hospital of Ningbo University, China (People's Republic)
YZ

Yimin Zhu

Center of Clinical Big Data and Analytics of the Second Affiliated Hospital and School of Public Health, Zhejiang University School of Medicine; Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Intelligent Preventive Medicine, China (People's Republic)
HC

Hongshu Chen

Center of Clinical Big Data and Analytics of the Second Affiliated Hospital and School of Public Health, Zhejiang University School of Medicine; Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Intelligent Preventive Medicine, China (People's Republic)
HC

Hui Chen

The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, China (People's Republic)
LF

Leqi Fei

Center of Clinical Big Data and Analytics of the Second Affiliated Hospital and School of Public Health, Zhejiang University School of Medicine; Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Intelligent Preventive Medicine, China (People's Republic)
PZ

Ping Zeng

The Key Laboratory of Geriatrics, Beijing Institute of Geriatrics, Institute of Geriatric Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing Hospital, National Center of Gerontology of National Health Commission, Beijing, China (People's Republic)
CZ

Chi Zhang

The Key Laboratory of Geriatrics, Beijing Institute of Geriatrics, Institute of Geriatric Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing Hospital, National Center of Gerontology of National Health Commission, Beijing, China (People's Republic)
TZ

Tao Zhang

Tianjin Medical University, School of Public Health, China (People's Republic)
CY

Changzheng Yuan

Zhejiang University School of Medicine, China (People's Republic)

Disclosure(s):

Mengjia Zhao, PhD Candidate: No relevant financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

Objectives: Cognitive decline has become a pressing public health concern, yet effective preventive strategies remain scarce, particularly in general populations and resource-limited settings. The cluster-randomized trial aimed to assess the effects of a Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay (MIND) dietary education intervention on cognitive function among rural middle-aged and older adults in China.

Methods: From May 2024, we recruited participants aged ≥40 years from 30 villages in Dongping Town, Shandong Province, China with normal chewing function and stable health conditions. Clusters were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to either the MIND diet group or the control group for 12 months. The intervention group received a six-month multi-component educational program (monthly sessions, healthy food incentives, and dietary guidance) aimed at promoting adherence to the MIND diet, while the control group received a standard Chinese Food Guide Pagoda leaflet at baseline. The primary outcome was the change from baseline in global cognitive function, assessed using the 5-minute Montreal Cognitive Assessment (5-min MoCA). Data were analyzed using a linear mixed-effects model to estimate between-group differences, with raw scores converted to z scores.

Results: A total of 1063 participants (mean age: 59.2 years, 60.3% female; intervention: n = 571; control: n = 492) were included in the analysis. At month 12, the intervention group slowed the decline in global cognitive function compared to the control group (β = 0.151, 95% CI: 0.020–0.282, P = 0.024). A significant improvement was also observed in the language domain (β = 0.166, 95% CI: 0.005–0.327, P = 0.044).

Conclusions: The MIND dietary education program mitigated cognitive decline over 12 months in rural Chinese middle-aged and older adults, suggesting its potential as an effective strategy for cognitive preservation in resource-limited settings.

Funding Sources: The study is funded by Ministry of Science and Technology of the People’s Republic of China.