As we age, our brain needs special nutrients. What diet provides them.
If you want to stay sharp as you age, it’s a good idea to start following the Mediterranean diet as closely as possible. New research shows that the brain needs specific nutrients to stay healthy, and this special diet can provide them.
The new findings explain why the Mediterranean diet is repeatedly linked to better cognitive skills in middle and old age, the researchers say.
The new study was based on blood tests conducted by researchers on 100 healthy volunteers between the ages of 65 and 75. The volunteers were also given tests to assess their mental abilities. They were still doing brain MRIs.
Some volunteers had clear pointers in mind he aged slowly and was therefore healthier. In others, aging appeared to be accelerated. Those who slower aging There was a higher levels in their blood five components or categories of nutrients. That’s all:
- Fatty acids such as alpha-linolenic acid
- Antioxidants and carotenoids, such as zeaxanthin and cis-lutein
- Two forms of vitamin E
- Colin
This profile closely matches that seen in those following a Mediterranean diet, the researchers say.
Objective assessment
New findings Published in the medical journal Nature Aging. As the researchers explain, previous studies of diet affecting the brain were based on dietary surveys. But these require participants to remember exactly what they ate.
The study is one of the first and largest to examine how the brain responds to nutrition, as reflected in blood tests.
It is also one of the first to combine blood nutrient levels with imaging tests and cognitive tests.
These features “allows for a more objective assessment of how the brain is affected by nutrition“, he said supervising researcher Dr. Aaron Barbey Professor of Neurology at the University of Nebraska.