Healthy diet may help shield the aging brain
Eating a healthier diet might reduce the risk of problems with certain brain functions as you age, findings from a recent study suggest.
Older adults with healthier diets reduced their odds of impaired executive function by 35 percent. Executive function refers to a collection of things done by the brain, including memory, reasoning, multi-tasking, problem-solving and planning skills.
Healthy diet might affect cognition [thinking skills] through several mechanisms, said study co-author Carol Derby, associate professor of neurology and of epidemiology and population health at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City.
Healthy diet is associated with reduced rates of cardiovascular disease, with more healthy weight and with reduced risk of diabetes, all of which are risk factors for cognitive decline and dementia, she explained. However, this study wasnt designed to show that eating more healthfully actually caused the better brain function, or that a good diet could prevent Alzheimers or dementia. The study was only designed to find an association between a healthy diet and better brain function.
Researchers presented the findings this week at the Alzheimers Association International Conference in Washington, D.C. Findings presented at meetings are generally considered preliminary until theyve been published in a peer-reviewed journal.
For the study, researchers asked nearly 550 seniors about their diets. Their average age was 80 years old. None of them showed signs of dementia.
The study volunteers were asked to recall how many servings they eat weekly of grains, fried foods, snacks, sweets, soft drinks, fats, alcohol, fruits and vegetables, and specific dairy and meat products.
Each participant also took several tests to determine memory and thinking skills, along with executive function. Participants were considered to have impaired function if they scored substantially lower than average on a particular collection of skills.
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