Ever heard of brain food? Recent of studies have confirmed it’s real and you should be eating it!
The proof? Senior citizens with diets high in omega-3 fatty acids and vitamins B, C, D and E consistently maintain better cognitive function.
The most recent study from the Layton Aging & Alzheimer’s Disease Center at Oregon Health & Science University relied on blood samples, as opposed to self-reported food surveys, to determine the diets of the 104 men and women with an average age of 87 participating.
After a series of tests, researchers determined that those who tested high for memory and critical thinking, along with less brain shrinkage, were more likely to have biomarkers of healthful compounds found in “brain food” in their blood.
Although age and education level were stronger predictors of brain health, diet still explained 17% of the variation in brain function and 37% of shrinkage variance.
Maret Traber, a co-author of the study, hopes that percentage is enough to convince Americans to improve their diet, saying:
“These findings are based on average people eating average American diets. If anyone right now is considering a New Year’s resolution to improve their diet, this would certainly give them another reason to eat more fruits and vegetables.”
If you’d like to start eating as much of these healthy nutrients as you can, consider fruits and veggies for vitamin C, salmon and other fatty fish for omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin D, nuts and seeds for vitamin E, then whole grains and dairy for B vitamins!
Healthier eating could mean a happier New Year!
[Image via WENN.]
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