"In other words, what you use to fuel yourself matters for brain health. So what foods are best for your brain? In a nine-year study of nearly 1,000 older adults, researchers at Rush University in Chicago found that people who ate more of nine particular types of food berries, leafy greens, other vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts, fish, poultry and olive oil and who ate less red meat, butter and margarine, cheese, sweet treats and fried food had slower cognitive decline."
"Berries and leafy greens, for example, are rich in polyphenols and other antioxidants, said Jennifer Ventrelle, a dietitian at Rush and a co-author of The Official Mind Diet. Many of these compounds can cross the blood-brain barrier and help to fight inflammation and oxidative stress, both of which can damage cells and are linked to dementia. Nuts and fatty fishes, like salmon and sardines, contain omega-3 fatty acids."
The brain is about 2 percent of body mass but uses roughly 20 percent of the body's energy, so diet matters for brain health. Higher intake of berries, leafy greens, whole grains, beans, nuts, fish, olive oil, plus lower red meat, sweets and fried foods corresponds with slower decline. The MIND diet links to better cognition, lower dementia risk and slower Alzheimer's progression at any age. Polyphenols and antioxidants in berries and greens reduce inflammation and oxidative stress; omega-3s in nuts and fatty fish help nerve insulation; fiber from whole grains and beans feeds gut microbes producing short-chain fatty acids that may affect the brain.
Read at www.nytimes.com
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