Culturally Adapted MIND Diet Contributes to Improved Cognitive Outcomes Across Latin America
As interest in lifestyle approaches to dementia prevention continues to grow, researchers are expanding this work to diverse populations around the world.
A landmark study published in The Lancet evaluated a culturally adapted multidomain lifestyle intervention among 1,065 adults (60–77 years) at increased risk for cognitive decline across 11 Latin American countries. Participants were randomized to either a systematic lifestyle intervention or a flexible health education group and followed for two years.
The Lifestyle Interventions
The “systematic” intervention program combined physical activity, nutrition counseling, cognitive training and social engagement, and cardiovascular risk management. Compared with participants in the more flexible program who received general health education. Those in the more intensive systematic program experienced significantly greater improvements in global cognition, as well as in each of its key cognitive domains: episodic memory, executive function, and processing speed.
The study also demonstrated that this comprehensive lifestyle approach could be successfully implemented across diverse cultural, socioeconomic, and healthcare settings, an important step toward making evidence-based dementia prevention more accessible worldwide.
What’s Food Got to do With It?
One of the most exciting aspects of the trial was the dietary intervention (we admit, we are a bit biased here!). Rather than simply translating the original MIND diet, investigators worked directly with our MIND diet team at Rush University to identify culturally relevant foods that could preserve the diet’s evidence-based nutritional principles, and then created recipes and educational materials to reflect local cuisines and food availability.
This process illustrated one of the central concepts of the MIND diet: the overall dietary pattern, not individual foods alone, that matters most. That flexibility allows the MIND diet to be adapted across cultures while remaining grounded in the science.
Building on the Momentum
The LatAm-FINGERS findings build on the momentum of the recently published U.S. POINTER Trial, further strengthening the evidence that multidomain lifestyle interventions can support cognitive health in older adults.
We are grateful to have contributed to the U.S. POINTER study and are encouraged to see the Alzheimer’s Association continue advancing dementia prevention research through initiatives such as World-Wide FINGERS, bringing evidence-based lifestyle interventions to communities around the globe.
Putting the Research into Practice
One of the core principles of The Official MIND Diet has always been that brain-healthy eating is based on healthy nutrition and lifestyle habits, not single foods, nutrients, or supplements.
Whether you are adapting the MIND diet to fit your culture, your food preferences, or your budget, the goal is the same: creating sustainable habits that support healthy cognitive aging over time.
If you’re just getting started, explore our free MIND Diet on a Budget guide for practical, affordable ways to put these principles into action. If you’re looking for more support, our MIND diet programs and partnerships—including our Your Brain Will Thank You campaign with the Illinois Brain Health Project—offer additional tools and resources to help you turn the science into everyday practice.