Dementia affects over 55 million people worldwide, with the number expected to rise in the coming decades. Researchers at Fudan University and Zhejiang University School of Medicine have developed a new dietary intervention called MODERN (Machine-learning-assisted Optimizing Dietary intERvention against demeNtia risk), which uses machine learning to identify optimal food combinations that may reduce dementia risk.
The researchers analyzed data from the UK Biobank, a large biomedical database, and used a machine learning technique called LightGBM to identify key dietary factors associated with dementia. The model found that moderate intake of brain-healthy foods like leafy greens and berries, and restriction of detrimental items such as sweetened beverages, was linked to a lower risk of dementia.
In independent validation studies, participants who followed the MODERN diet had a 36% lower risk of developing dementia compared to those who followed other dietary patterns. The researchers believe that this new approach could be a valuable addition to existing dementia prevention efforts and may also help prevent other brain disorders such as anxiety and depression.
The long-term goal of the research team is to develop a unified, evidence-based dietary framework specifically designed to promote brain health and prevent neurological diseases. With further validation studies and randomized controlled trials, the MODERN diet could soon be introduced in public health guidelines and become a widely accepted approach to dementia prevention.
Source: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-07-dietary-intervention-optimized-machine-dementia.html