Moderate MIND diet adherence and positive correlation between weekly egg intake and skin carotenoid scores in college students.

Adherence to the Mediterranean-DASH diet intervention for neurodegenerative delay (MIND) diet, which emphasizes fruit and vegetables and thereby carotenoid intake, is associated with better cognitive health in older adults. However, as neurodegeneration is thought to progress over decades, adopting such a dietary pattern in young adulthood may help prevent its initiation and progression. The aim of this study was to determine whether scores on the MIND diet screener predict skin carotenoid scores in college students, as a measure of construct validity. Participants completed a modified 14-item MIND diet screener and an item on weekly egg intake. Skin carotenoids were assessed using pressure-mediated reflective spectroscopy by Veggie Meter, and the data were analyzed using Pearson correlations. Participants (n = 293; 62.5% female; 20.0 ± 2.0 years) scored 8.3 ± 2.1 on the screener, indicating suboptimal adherence to the MIND dietary pattern, and skin carotenoid scores averaged 305 ± 90. MIND diet screener score predicted skin carotenoid score (r = 0.327; CI 0.220-0.425; P < .001), strengthened by adding the egg intake item (r = 0.353; CI 0.249-0.450; P < .001), and was highest in those consuming ≥7 eggs/wk (r = 0.50). Two dietary patterns emerged from clustering analysis, differentiated by intakes of leafy greens, other vegetables, berries, beans, and nuts. In conclusion, the MIND diet screener score predicts skin carotenoid content in young adults, supporting the tool's validity; however, frequent egg intake strongly moderated the relationship. Egg intake should be considered when interpreting skin carotenoid scores and included in future iterations of the MIND diet screener.