What you eat affects more than just your taste buds: It’s well-established that certain nutrients can do your body good, from bolstering your bones to protecting your heart. But what about your brain—can eating specific foods ward off conditions like Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia?
For years, lots of promising research has suggested that what you eat can benefit your brain, and a buzzed-about study from earlier this year only supported that connection. Older folks who more strongly followed a style of eating called the Mediterranean-Dash Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay diet (a.k.a. the MIND diet)—a version of the Mediterranean diet with a focus on brain-healthy foods like leafy greens, beans, whole grains, fish, olive oil, and others—aged slower biologically and were less likely to develop dementia over a 14-year follow-up than those who didn’t adhere to it.
While that sounds significant, it’s still not enough to say conclusively that putting the right stuff on your plate wards off serious neurodegenerative diseases. Even the study authors pointed out that a “large fraction of the diet-dementia association remains unexplained.” Simply put, they weren’t able to tease out whether other important factors—like genetics and physical and mental exercise—were equally (or perhaps more!) responsible for the results.
So what does all this mean for you (and your grocery list)? We combed through the research and spoke with experts to dig into whether the concept of “brain food” is really legit. The short answer? It’s not exactly cut-and-dried. While your fork isn’t going to become a magic bullet, food can play a role in keeping your brain healthy. Read on for everything you need to know.
Here’s where the research stands on “brain foods” in general.
Scientists don’t know exactly what causes dementia and related conditions, but there are some solid theories, Allison B. Reiss, MD, an associate professor of medicine who researches Alzheimer’s disease at the NYU Grossman Long Island School of Medicine, tells SELF.
Lots of factors are linked to neurocognitive decline, including things you can’t control (like aging and certain genes) and stuff you can (at least somewhat) like high blood pressure and high cholesterol. These conditions can be influenced through behaviors like avoiding smoking, limiting how much alcohol you drink, moving your body more, and eating a well-rounded diet, Dr. Reiss explains.
So what you’re putting on your plate can, at the very least, be considered a contributing factor to your brain health. Here are some of the most common foods purported to be at play, what the research actually says, and how experts piece it all together to form the bigger picture.
Fish in general is an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids, or essential polyunsaturated fats that you have to get from food because your body doesn’t produce them on its own.
The potential brain-protecting qualities of omega-3s are well-documented: According to Dr. Reiss, they help regulate the release of neurotransmitters—your noggin’s message delivery system—and maintain the health of your brain’s lipid membrane, which is responsible for processing protein and renewing cells. These fats may also have anti-inflammatory effects in your brain and elsewhere in your body.
What’s more, two types of omega-3s found mostly in fish can be especially good for your brain. Fish with higher concentrations of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) are more strongly linked to reductions in Alzheimer’s disease risk than those that don’t have as much. So that makes species like salmon, mackerel, tuna, and sardines, which are rich in both, particularly solid picks.
According to Dr. Reiss, there’s a brain-forward reason you’re often encouraged to “eat the rainbow.” Colorful, fiber-rich fruits and vegetables contain anthocyanins, a potent class of antioxidants found in produce like blueberries, beets, red cabbage, and purple carrots, among other brightly pigmented varieties. According to a 2012 study of more than 16,000 people 70 and older, regularly eating strawberries and blueberries (at least one or two servings per week) slowed their rate of cognitive decline, leading to better scores on six tests of mental function.
These types of antioxidants have strong potential to specifically target inflammation in your brain while also promoting autophagy, a clearance system of sorts that enables your body to recycle old cells, Uma Naidoo, MD, a Harvard-trained psychiatrist and author of Calm Your Mind With Food, tells SELF. Disruption in this process has been linked to dementia, so anything that can help this process operate more smoothly can only be good for your brain.
There are a number of nutrients in leafy greens that could potentially ward off neurodegenerative diseases, including phylloquinone, lutein, nitrate, folate, alpha-tocopherol, and kaempferol. Folate, in particular, is associated with brain health because it may help your body produce necessary hormones for cognition, focus, and mood, Dr. Naidoo says. In fact, a 2021 review in Frontiers in Neuroscience concluded that deficiencies in the nutrient might increase a person’s risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease later in life.
You might think darker greens like kale and collards are your best bet, but brain-helping nutrients can be found in just about all types, like spinach, turnip greens, kale—and even lettuce.
There’s a growing body of research that shows this filling snack may do a lot of good for your brain too. Like fish, nuts and seeds also contain omega-3 fatty acids—just a different kind: alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). According to a 2024 review published in Life Sciences, ALA may benefit brain health directly thanks to an anti-inflammatory effect it may have on certain cells in the body. While we still need more studies on people to confirm these specific benefits, ALA’s link to better cardiovascular health is well-documented, Dr. Reiss says—and anything that’s good for your heart will be indirectly beneficial to your brain too.
Olive oil isn’t called liquid gold for nothing: Its high concentration of omega-3s provides health benefits to your entire body, including your brain.
A new study published in JAMA Network Open followed how much olive oil almost 100,000 people consumed over the course of 28 years, and found that taking in as little as seven grams of it a day—about a teaspoon and a half—was associated with a 28% reduced risk of dementia-related death. That held true for folks with and without the gene for Alzheimer’s disease, despite whatever other foods they ate.
What’s more, a small study of 26 people published in the journal Nutrients found a promising link between olive oil and a stronger blood-brain barrier, a protective filter-like layer in your brain which is often weakened by conditions like Alzheimer’s. Plus a number of studies point to the possibility that olive oil can reduce the risk of heart disease, which can in turn be protective against dementia.
Beans, lentils, and the like are rich sources of thiamin (vitamin B1), Dr. Reiss says. We can say conclusively that thiamin has a direct effect on brain health, she says—folks with thiamin deficiencies exhibit symptoms similar to those of Alzheimer’s disease, like memory loss. The vitamin helps enzymes reach the mitochondria (the good ol’ powerhouse of the cell) in your brain, which is vital because your central nervous system can’t function properly without them.
What’s more, legumes and pulses also have some omega-3 fatty acids and a solid amount of fiber, which can reduce blood pressure levels to support your heart health. And that, as you now know, indirectly contributes to better brain function.
But is it really all about the food?
That last part is a biggie: A lot of so-called brain foods probably have indirect benefits for your neurological health. That means rather than boosting your brain head-on, they help to improve other processes in your body instead, which can have a trickle-down (or, in this case, trickle-up) effect.
As the foods on this list show, a lot of nutrients—fiber, antioxidants, omega-3s, among others—also support your cardiovascular system (say, by reducing inflammation or tamping down blood pressure). And as Dr. Naidoo stresses, “A nutrition and lifestyle plan that addresses heart health will naturally positively impact one’s brain health as we age.” Another important consideration? “Brain food” is less about one particular item, and more about the sum of it all. That means trying to load up on just one or two of those foods is unlikely to make much of a dent in preventing cognitive decline, Dr. Reiss says. “Foods work together in our brain and body, and too often I see attempts to isolate one particular ingredient as a magical treatment,” she explains.
And it isn’t just about your diet. Other behaviors can have a pretty weighty influence on your dementia risk too. Regularly exercising, prioritizing good sleep, building a strong community and social connections, and putting your brain to work can also play a big role, Dr. Reiss says. Like many things in nutrition (and health, in general), a holistic approach is best: It’s all about the bigger picture, and all about habit. Put all of these tips together for the long haul, and that just might explain a lot of the brain-healthy findings.
“It’s difficult to measure scientifically, but the cumulative effects of healthy habits combined are certainly more than the sum of their parts,” Dr. Naidoo says. So go ahead, load up your plate with some “brain-healthy” foods—but don’t forget about the stuff beyond the dinner table too.
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