How to make your brain smart all the time
This is
very nice study which give us idea that what we eat not only good for our body
but also for our brain power. This research study following nearly 28,000
people aged 55 and older at high cardiovascular risk, which monitored their
diets for 5 years and tested declines
against thinking and memory tests, found a smaller drop in brain power for those who ate well. The American Academy of Neurology has published the results in the journal Neurology. The healthy eating linked to the stronger cognitive health was a diet with not much red meat, moderate alcohol and lots of fruits and vegetable, nuts and fish.
against thinking and memory tests, found a smaller drop in brain power for those who ate well. The American Academy of Neurology has published the results in the journal Neurology. The healthy eating linked to the stronger cognitive health was a diet with not much red meat, moderate alcohol and lots of fruits and vegetable, nuts and fish.
The 27,860
over-55s included for the analysis, from across 40 countries, were studied over
an average of around 5 years. Certain health conditions were excluded at the
start of the study of people at high risk of cardiovascular disease. None of
the participants had diabetes or a history of heart disease, stroke or peripheral
artery disease; nor had any recently experienced serious disease outcomes such
as a stroke or congestive heart failure. Participants who experienced heart
disease or stroke during the study were no longer followed for diet and mental
power. To take a baseline measure of
cognitive health and monitor any decline, thinking and memory skills were
tested at the start of the study, then 2 years and about 5 years later. A
maximum of 30 points was possible against these thinking and memory tests and
cognitive decline was noted when scores dropped by 3 points or more, which
happened for 17% overall - a total of 4,699 participants.
Interesting Results-Cognitive decline lowest among those who reported healthiest diets
The
proportion registering a decline was lower for people reporting the healthiest
diets - 14% of these showed a drop in thinking and memory, compared with 18% of
the people eating the least healthy diets. For the measure of diet, the
participants were asked at the start of the study to say how often they ate
certain foods, including vegetables, nuts and soy proteins, whole grains and
deep-fried foods. They also reported levels of alcohol intake and gave data to
produce a ratio of fish to meat and eggs in their diets. The measure of diet
quality was a modified version of the healthy eating index used by the US
government. Among the 5,687 people with the healthiest diet, 782 made up the
13.8% having cognitive decline, while of the 5,459 people with the least
healthy diets, 987 accounted for the 18.1%. The relative difference from these
figures produces a 24% lower likelihood of a drop in thinking and memory for
people eating well. The researchers accounted for factors that could have
affected the results, such as physical activity, high blood pressure and
history of cancer. Study author Dr. Andrew Smyth, of McMaster University in
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, and the National University of Ireland in Galway,
says diet in later life is only part of the picture, Adoption of a healthy diet probably
begins early in life, and a healthy diet might also go along with adoption of
other healthy behaviors. For their data, the authors examined participants from
randomized drug trials in cardiovascular disease supported by pharmaceutical
company Boehringer Ingelheim.
In
background to their work, the authors cite previous brain health links to
healthy diet but point out that using the large multinational prospective
cohort study allows observation of "more precise associations between diet
(assessed using standardized methodology) and cognitive outcomes." Explaining
what biological explanations may lie behind the emerging evidence, the authors
say: "Dietary intake may modify the risk of cognitive decline through
multiple mechanisms, including increased risk of stroke (both overt and covert)
and through deficiency of nutrients required for neuronal regeneration (for
example, group B vitamins, and vitamin C)." The risk factors for dementia
listed by the US National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
include a number that can be modified by dietary and lifestyle measures. The
new study ends by stating, “In conclusion, we report that higher diet quality
is associated with a reduced risk of cognitive decline. Improved diet quality
represents an important potential target for reducing the global burden of
cognitive decline."
(Source-Journal Neurology)
