7 Nutrients To Protect Your Brain
From Aging: Flavanols, Fish, Nuts, And Blueberries May Prevent Alzheimer’s
Eating certain nutrients, like cocoa flavonals and magnesium, as
well as omega-3 fatty acids, help boost your cognitive function and
brainpower. Photo courtesy of Shutterstock
While genetics and exercise play a large role in your brain health
and risk of developing dementia, diet is quite influential, too. There is no
magical elixir that can cure or completely prevent dementia or Alzheimer’s
disease, but scientists have been able to pinpoint certain nutrients that are
associated with improved cognitive function or memory. Keeping your diet full
of the foods that contain them, then, can help you protect your brain.
Cocoa Flavanols
Cocoa flavanols are
found naturally in cocoa and can be beneficial to your brain health; they make
dark chocolate healthier than regular chocolate, which has been washed out with
milk and sugar. A 2014 study examined the impact of
eating a high cocoa flavanol diet over the course of three months. The
researchers focused primarily on the dentate gyrus (DG), a part of the
hippocampal formation in the brain that, when it declines, is often associated
with aging. Scientists believe this part of the brain is linked to memory loss.
After eating a lot of cocoa flavanols, the researchers report that the
participants experienced “enhanced DG function.”
Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Fish that are rich in
omega-3 fatty acids, like salmon, mackerel, and tuna, are going to not only
help your heart health, but they’ll also give you a boost in brainpower.
According to a 2014 study, mice that were given supplements of omega-3
polyunsaturated fatty acid showed improved cognitive function while they aged —
showing better object recognition memory, spatial and localized memory, and
aversive response retention.
Nuts
Nuts contain omega-3
fatty acids like fish, so adding nuts to your diet in addition to fish will
provide you with solid amounts. Walnuts, in particular, have been shown to fight
memory loss. In one recent large-scale analysis, researchers found that a diet
supplemented with walnuts — which are high in omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin E,
folate, antioxidants, and melatonin — improved adults’ performances on a series
of six cognitive tests.
Magnesium
Scientists believe
that a magnesium deficiency may play a role in cognitive decline, brain aging,
and ultimately, dementia. So taking magnesium supplements — or eating foods
that contain magnesium, like chard, spinach, pumpkin seeds, yogurt, almonds,
black beans, avocados, figs, dark chocolate, or bananas — can help you fight
off the effects of the aging brain.
Blueberries
Blueberries are
delicious, but they also help in boosting your memory. According to a 2010study, blueberries were shown to have antioxidant
and anti-inflammatory effects. They also contain anthocyanins, compounds that
are associated with increased neuronal signaling in the brain’s memory areas.
In the study, researchers found that participants who drank wild blueberry
juice on a daily basis had improvements in paired associate learning and word
list recall; they also found lower depressive symptoms and glucose levels.
Cruciferous Vegetables
According to the National Institute on Aging, eating a lot of fruits, vegetables, and
whole grains can help stave off cognitive decline as well as other chronic
diseases, like heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Green, leafy, cruciferous
vegetables in particular (like
broccoli and spinach) have been shown to reduce the rate of cognitive
decline. The Mediterranean diet, in particular (vegetables, legumes, fruits,
cereals, fish, olive oil, mild amounts of alcohol — as well as low consumption
of saturated fats, dairy, meat, and poultry) has shown in studies to be beneficial for cognitive health compared
to more “Western” diets that are high in fats, carbs, and meat.
Green Tea
Green tea is good for
a lot of things — but it’s also going to help you protect your brain. In a
recent study completed at the University of Basel, researchers found that green
tea extract enhances your thinking process and working memory. Participants
scored higher for working memory tasks after they received the green tea
extract, and an MRI showed a boost in connectivity between the parietal and
frontal cortex of the brain, meaning that green tea “might increase the
short-term synaptic plasticity of the brain,” said Professor Stefan
Borgwardt, an author of the study.
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