Fruit vegetables

Exercise & healthy diet associated with better cognition

  • A very large study found higher levels of physical activity, eating more fruits and vegetables, and not being obese, were all linked to better cognition in younger & older adults.

A Canadian study involving 45,522 adults (30+) found that higher levels of physical activity, eating more fruits and vegetables, and having a BMI in the normal weight or overweight range were each associated with better cognitive function in both younger and older adults.

Specifically, for those who were normal weight or overweight (but not obese), eating more than 10 servings of fruit and vegetable daily was linked to better cognitive functioning. When moderate exercise was added, those eating less than five servings, reported better cognitive functioning.

Analysis also suggested that higher levels of physical activity may be in part responsible for the relationship between higher daily fruit and vegetable consumption and better cognitive performance.

Reference: 

Alina Cohen, Chris I Ardern, Joseph Baker, Physical activity mediates the relationship between fruit and vegetable consumption and cognitive functioning: a cross-sectional analysis, Journal of Public Health, Volume 39, Issue 4, December 2017, Pages e161–e169, https://doi.org/10.1093/pubmed/fdw113

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Leafy greens slow cognitive decline

Data from the long-running Rush Memory and Aging Project, involving 960 participants who completed a food frequency questionnaire from 2004 to 2013, found that those who ate one daily serving of green, leafy vegetables had a slower rate of cognitive decline than people who rarely or never ate them. Those who ate at least one serving of leafy green vegetables showed an equivalent of being 11 years younger cognitively.

Participants had an average age of 81 at the beginning of the study. Analysis took into account such factors as seafood and alcohol consumption, smoking, high blood pressure, obesity, education level and amount of physical and cognitive activities.

Reference: 

Martha Clare Morris, Yamin Wang, Lisa L. Barnes, David A. Bennett, Bess Dawson-Hughes, Sarah L. Booth. Nutrients and bioactives in green leafy vegetables and cognitive decline: Prospective study. Neurology Jan 2018, 90 (3) e214-e222; DOI: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000004815

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Lots of fruit & veges helps older brains

Data from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging, involving 8,574 middle-aged and older adults (aged 45-85), has found that those who ate more vegetables and fruits and more nuts and pulses (such as lentils and beans) scored higher on tests of verbal fluency. Every increase in average daily fruit and vegetable intake was linked to higher verbal fluency scores, but the best outcomes were found among those who consumed at least 6 servings a day.

Additionally, those with stage 2 hypertension had lower verbal fluency scores, as did those with higher levels of body fat.

Reference: 

Fuller-Thomson, E., Saab, Z., Davison, K. M., Lin, S. L., Taler, V., Kobayashi, K., & Tong, H. (2020). Nutrition, Immigration and Health Determinants are Linked to Verbal Fluency among Anglophone Adults in the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA). The Journal of Nutrition, Health & Aging, 24(6), 672–680. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12603-020-1402-8

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Diet may help preserve cognitive function

Analysis of data from the Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) and AREDS2, involving a total of around 8,000 older adults, has found that those with the greatest adherence to the Mediterranean diet had the lowest risk of cognitive impairment. High fish and vegetable consumption appeared to have the greatest protective effect. At 10 years, AREDS2 participants with the highest fish consumption had the slowest rate of cognitive decline.

Those with the Alzheimer's gene ApoE4 on average had lower cognitive function scores and greater decline than those without the gene, but close adherence to a Mediterranean diet had similar benefits for people with and without the ApoE4 gene.

Reference: 

Keenan TD, Agron E, Mares J, Clemons TE, van Asten F, Swaroop A, and Chew E, for the AREDS and AREDS2 research groups. Adherence to a Mediterranean diet and cognitive function in the Age-Related Eye Disease Studies 1 & 2. April 14, 2020. Alzheimer's and Dementia.

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Nutrients linked to better brain connectivity, cognition in older adults

  • A study found that higher levels of several key nutrients were associated with more efficient brain connectivity and better cognitive performance in older adults.

A study involving 116 healthy older adults (65-75) has found that higher levels of several key nutrients in the blood were associated with more efficient brain connectivity and better cognitive performance. In fact, the findings suggest that the level of nutrients governs the strength of the association between functional brain network efficiency and cognitive performance.

The study looked at 32 key nutrients in the Mediterranean diet. The effective nutrients, which appeared to work synergistically, included omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, carotenoids, lycopene, riboflavin, folate, vitamin B12 and vitamin D.

A pattern of omega-3s, omega-6s and carotene was linked to better functional brain network efficiency.

Omega-3 fatty acids are abundant in fish, walnuts and Brussels sprouts; omega-6 fatty acids are found in flaxseed, pumpkin seeds, pine nuts and pistachios; lycopene is the vivid red pigment in tomatoes, watermelon and a few other fruits and vegetables; alpha- and beta-carotenoids give sweet potatoes and carrots their characteristic orange color.

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-12/uoia-sln121918.php

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Fruit & veges slow memory decline in long-running study

  • A large, long-running study has found an association between consumption of fruit & vegetables and subjectively assessed memory skills in older men.

A study following nearly 28,000 older men for 20 years has found that regular consumption of leafy greens, dark orange and red vegetables and berry fruits, and orange juice, was associated with a lower risk of memory loss.

The study looked at 27,842 male health professionals, who were an average age of 51 in 1986, when the study began. Participants filled out questionnaires about how many servings of fruits, vegetables and other foods they had each day, at the beginning of the study and then every four years.

Specifically:

  • those who consumed the most vegetables (around six servings a day) were 34% less likely to develop poor thinking skills than the men who consumed the least amount of vegetables (around two servings)
  • 6.6% of men who consumed the most vegetables developed poor cognitive function, compared to 7.9% of men who consumed the least
  • those who drank orange juice every day were 47% less likely to develop poor thinking skills than those who drank less than one serving per month
  • 6.9% of men who drank orange juice every day developed poor cognitive function, compared to 8.4 % of men who drank orange juice less than once a month

Interestingly, those who ate larger amounts of fruits and vegetables 20 years earlier were less likely to develop cognitive problems, whether or not they kept eating larger amounts of fruits and vegetables about six years before the memory test.

Cognition was not, however, assessed objectively, nor was it tested at baseline. In 2008 and 2012, participants were given a short cognitive test to assess their subjective judgments of their memory and cognition. The brief test included such questions as:

  • "Do you have more trouble than usual remembering a short list of items, such as a shopping list?"
  • "Do you have more trouble than usual following a group conversation or a plot in a TV program due to your memory?"

Just over half the participants (55%) had good thinking and memory skills, 38% had moderate skills, and 7% had poor thinking and memory skills.

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-11/aaon-ojl111918.php

Reference: 

Changzheng Yuan et al. 2019. Long-term intake of vegetables and fruits and subjective cognitive function in US men. Neurology, 92 (1) e63-e75.

 

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The right diet may slow cognitive decline in stroke survivors

  • An observational study involving over 100 stroke survivors suggests the MIND diet may help substantially slow cognitive decline in those impaired by stroke.

A pilot study involving 106 participants of the Rush Memory and Aging Project who had experienced a stroke followed participants for an average of 5.9 years, testing their cognitive function and monitoring their eating habits using food journals. It was found that those whose diets scored highest on the MIND (Mediterranean-DASH Diet Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay) diet score had substantially slower rates of cognitive decline than those who scored lowest. The estimated effect of the diet remained strong even after taking into account participants' level of education and participation in cognitive and physical activities. Those who instead scored high on the Mediterranean or DASH diets did not show the same slower decline.

Both the Mediterranean and DASH diets have been shown to be protective against coronary artery disease and stroke, but this finding suggests the MIND diet is better for overall brain health.

The MIND diet is a hybrid of the Mediterranean and DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diets. It has 15 components: 10 “brain-healthy food groups” and five unhealthy groups (red meat, butter, cheese, pastries and sweets, and fried or fast food).

To adhere to the MIND diet, you need to

  • eat at least three daily servings of whole grains
  • eat a green leafy vegetable and one other vegetable every day
  • drink a regular glass of wine
  • snack most days on nuts
  • have beans every other day or so
  • eat poultry and berries at least twice a week
  • eat fish at least once a week
  • limit butter to less than 1 1/2 teaspoons a day
  • eat less than 5 servings a week of sweets and pastries
  • eat less than one serving per week of whole fat cheese, and fried or fast food.

The researchers stress that this is a preliminary study, observational only. They are currently seeking participants for a wider, intervention study.

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-01/rumc-mdm012418.php

Reference: 

Laurel J. Cherian & Martha Clare Morris: Presentation at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference 2018 in Los Angeles, January 25.

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