Diet-related blood proteins are linked to Alzheimer's risk
Higher scores on a brain-healthy diet were associated with lower odds of Alzheimer's disease, with an odds ratio of 0.75, in 206 participants.
Alzheimer's & Dementia
In an observational study of 206 people at the Indiana Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, researchers analysed blood plasma proteins to investigate how the MIND diet relates to dementia risk. Higher MIND diet scores were associated with lower odds of Alzheimer's disease, with an odds ratio of 0.75, and lower levels of neurofilament light chain, a marker of nerve damage. Two proteins, MCTS1 and cytidylate kinase, were associated with both MIND diet scores and Alzheimer's disease risk, and may mediate this relationship. Validation analyses in two separate groups of 10,228 and 3,723 people supported the finding for MCTS1. The authors noted that vascular-related biological mechanisms may underlie associations between diet and dementia risk.
Why it matters
Alzheimer's disease is an age-related neurodegenerative condition, and understanding how dietary patterns relate to circulating proteins bears on how lifestyle factors are linked to the aging brain. Identifying specific blood proteins associated with diet could help clarify biological pathways related to dementia risk.
Caveats
The findings come from observational data, which cannot determine whether dietary habits or the identified proteins alter dementia risk. In addition, the initial network was analysed in a cohort of 206 participants.
The paper
MIND diet-related plasma proteins are associated with Alzheimer's disease risk
Show 11 more authors
Yen-Ning Huang, Tamina Park, Shiwei Liu, Frederick W Unverzagt, Sujuan Gao, Global Neurodegeneration Proteomics Consortium, Donna M Wilcock, Jiaqi Yang, Casey M Rebholz, Shannon L Risacher, Andrew J Saykin,Indiana University School of Medicine
Alzheimer's & Dementia · 1 Oct 2026
