MIND Diet for Multiple Sclerosis

(REMIND Trial)

Overseen By Naiman Khan, PhD

Age: 18 - 65

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Must be taking: Disease-modifying therapy

Disqualifiers: Other neurodegenerative diseases, food allergies, others

No Placebo Group All trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: Unknown

Duration: 12 weeks

40 Participants Needed

What You Need to Know Before You Apply

What is the purpose of this trial?

This trial explores whether the MIND diet can help people with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) improve cognitive function and memory. Participants will consume one meal a day following either the MIND diet or a typical healthy diet (the Control Diet) for three months. The MIND diet includes foods such as leafy greens, nuts, and berries. This trial suits individuals with MS who maintain a stable diet and have no food allergies. Participants must also have internet access to complete surveys and cognitive tests online. As an unphased trial, this study offers the opportunity to contribute to groundbreaking research on dietary impacts on MS.

Will I have to stop taking my current medications?

The trial does not specify if you need to stop taking your current medications. However, it requires that your disease-modifying therapy (DMT) has been stable for at least 6 months.

Is there any evidence suggesting that this trial's treatments are likely to be safe?

Research has shown that the MIND diet is generally safe and easy to follow. Studies have found that this diet can slow memory and thinking problems, especially after a stroke. This is encouraging for people with multiple sclerosis (MS) because the diet helps reduce stress and swelling, which are important in managing MS.

Other studies have shown that participants improved their diet habits from poor to good without major side effects. This indicates that the diet is not only safe but also beneficial for brain health and managing MS symptoms. Overall, the MIND diet is considered a safe choice for those seeking to boost brain health. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Why are researchers excited about this trial?

Researchers are excited about the MIND Diet for multiple sclerosis (MS) because it introduces a dietary approach that emphasizes brain-healthy foods, potentially offering benefits beyond conventional MS treatments like disease-modifying therapies. Unlike standard medications, the MIND Diet incorporates specific foods like leafy greens, berries, and nuts, which are rich in nutrients that may support brain health and reduce inflammation. This dietary strategy is unique because it offers a non-pharmacological method to possibly enhance the quality of life and cognitive function in people with MS, tapping into the potential of nutrition to complement traditional medical treatments.

What evidence suggests that the MIND diet is effective for improving cognitive performance in persons with MS?

This trial will compare the MIND diet with a Control diet for individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS). Research has shown that the MIND diet might improve brain function. This diet includes foods like leafy greens, nuts, and berries, which may reduce stress and swelling in the body, both linked to MS. Studies suggest that people who follow the MIND diet often have better thinking and memory skills. Additionally, consuming more plant proteins from this diet appears to lower MS symptoms and relapse rates. Overall, the diet shows promise for enhancing brain health in people with MS. ^{2 3 6 7 8}

Who Is on the Research Team?

Naiman Khan, PhD

Principal Investigator

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?

This trial is for people aged 18-64 with Multiple Sclerosis, good or corrected vision, and stable MS treatment. They shouldn't have other neurodegenerative diseases, be pregnant or lactating, have food allergies/intolerances, or be in another diet/exercise/medication study.

Inclusion Criteria

I am not pregnant or breastfeeding.

I can eat the meals provided in the study.

I do not have any food allergies or intolerances.

Timeline for a Trial Participant

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Treatment

Participants consume one meal per day following the MIND diet or a control diet for 12 weeks, complete online surveys and cognitive testing, and keep a food record

12 weeks

Remote participation with online surveys and cognitive testing

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for cognitive performance improvements and adherence to the diet

4 weeks

What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?

Interventions

• Control Diet
• MIND Diet

Trial Overview

The trial tests if the MIND diet improves cognitive function compared to a control diet in MS patients. Participants will eat one meal per day following either the MIND or control diet for three months and complete surveys and cognitive tests before and after.

How Is the Trial Designed?

Group I: MIND Diet Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Participants in the active MIND diet group will be asked to consume one ready-to-eat meal per day from Daily Harvest® meal delivery service. The treatment meals will follow MIND diet guidelines and include leafy green vegetables, nuts, legumes, whole grains, berries, and extra virgin olive oil.

Group II: Control Diet Active Control 1 Intervention

Participants in the control diet group will be asked to consume one ready-to-eat meal per day from Daily Harvest® meal delivery service. The Control group will receive daily meals that are isocaloric with the active/experimental meals but will follow a general diet based on the average American diet and Dietary Guidelines for Americans (i.e., vegetables, fruits, nuts, whole grains, and unsaturated fats).

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Lead Sponsor

Trials

203

Recruited

40,600+

Published Research Related to This Trial

Adherence to the MIND diet is associated with a significantly reduced risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS), with an adjusted odds ratio of 0.10, indicating a strong protective effect based on a study of 77 patients with relapsing-remitting MS and 148 healthy controls.

Specific components of the MIND diet, such as high consumption of green leafy vegetables, other vegetables, and beans, are linked to lower odds of MS, while higher intake of unhealthy foods like pastries, sweets, and fried foods is associated with increased odds of the disease.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

MIND Diet Adherence Might be Associated with a Reduced Odds of Multiple Sclerosis: Results from a Case-Control Study. Noormohammadi, M., Ghorbani, Z., Naser Moghadasi, A., et al.[2022]

The MIND diet shows promise as a long-term treatment option for improving cognitive function in individuals with various forms of dementia, based on a systematic review of 11 studies involving different dementia pathologies.

All studies reviewed indicated a positive correlation between adherence to the MIND diet and cognitive functioning, although the effects on specific cognitive domains varied, highlighting the need for further research to understand the underlying mechanisms.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Impact of the MIND Diet on Cognition in Individuals with Dementia. Healy, E.[2023]

A review of recent randomized controlled trials (RCTs) found that chronic intake of whole foods from Mediterranean, DASH, MIND, and ketogenic diets generally supports improvements in cognitive function, with 26 out of 29 studies showing positive results.

Despite variations in study design and small sample sizes, the evidence suggests that these dietary patterns can be an effective nonpharmacological approach to enhance cognitive health in middle-aged and older adults.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Effect of Dietary Intake Through Whole Foods on Cognitive Function: Review of Randomized Controlled Trials. Jiwani, R., Robbins, R., Neri, A., et al.[2022]

In a study of 163 adults, adherence to the MIND diet was significantly associated with lower visceral adiposity and improved metabolic syndrome features, indicating its potential effectiveness for metabolic health.

While all diets studied (MIND, Mediterranean, DASH, and HEI-2015) showed some benefits, the MIND diet specifically demonstrated the strongest associations with reduced waist circumference, triglycerides, blood pressure, and fasting glucose levels.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

MIND dietary pattern adherence is inversely associated with visceral adiposity and features of metabolic syndrome. Holthaus, TA., Sethi, S., Cannavale, CN., et al.[2023]

In a study of 882 older adults over 12 years, adherence to the MIND diet was linked to a 12% reduction in all-cause mortality risk for each unit increase in diet score, indicating its potential health benefits.

Participants with the highest adherence to the MIND diet had a 37% lower risk of death compared to those with the lowest adherence, suggesting that this dietary pattern may be a valuable public health recommendation for increasing longevity.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Adherence to the MIND diet is associated with 12-year all-cause mortality in older adults. Corley, J.[2022]

In a study of 2,598 older adults, those who adhered more closely to the MIND dietary pattern showed significantly better cognitive performance, particularly in tests related to memory and global cognition.

While both MIND and Mediterranean-like diets were associated with improved cognitive scores, the MIND diet demonstrated stronger positive correlations with cognitive performance compared to the Mediterranean Eating Pattern for Americans (MEPA III).

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Cognitive performance in relation to MIND and MEPA III dietary pattern accordance of NHANES participants. Derdiger, S., Friedeborn, S., Tangney, CC.[2023]

In a 3-year randomized controlled trial involving 604 older adults at risk for dementia, the MIND diet did not show significant cognitive benefits compared to a control diet, with only a slight improvement in global cognition scores for the MIND diet group.

MRI results indicated no significant differences in brain characteristics, such as white-matter hyperintensities and hippocampal volumes, between participants following the MIND diet and those on the control diet.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Trial of the MIND Diet for Prevention of Cognitive Decline in Older Persons. Barnes, LL., Dhana, K., Liu, X., et al.[2023]

Citations

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The purpose of this research was to evaluate the link between the MIND diet adherence and multiple sclerosis (MS), a degenerative neurological illness.

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It has been reported that a higher intake of plant protein, a component of the MIND diet, compared to animal protein, can reduce the symptoms and relapse rate ...

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ejnpn.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s41983-023-00752-1

Examining the efficacy of the Mediterranean-DASH diet ...

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clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06992115?term=AREA%5BConditionSearch%5D(ms)%20AND%20AREA%5BBasicSearch%5D(diet)&rank=6

A Study of the MIND Diet for Persons With Multiple Sclerosis

This study will assess the impact of a MIND (Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay) diet on brain health and MS symptoms.

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pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7199507/

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High adherence to the MIND diet was associated with a slower rate of cognitive decline after stroke. Keywords: Stroke, cognitive decline, diet, nutrition, ...

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MIND Diet Impact on Multiple Sclerosis Patients

After the nutritional intervention, adherence to the MIND diet improved significantly, increasing from low (7.61 ± 1.88) to good (12.98 ± 1.22) ...

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Associations of the MIND Diet with Human Health Outcomes

The MIND diet was designed as an intervention to delay neurodegeneration and has been explored by systematic reviews for associations with ...