Photo courtesy of Stockbyte
|
Web Exclusive...
Feed Your Head
By Kelly Griffin, September 2005
Add these healthy brain foods to your diet for a little peace of mind
|
Read All Articles in This Special Report
Inside Jim's Brain: How Scientists Are Untangling the Mysteries of
Alzheimer's
What It Feels Like: A Personal Account of Living With Alzheimer's
He's Still in There: A Daughter's Perspective
Stay Sharp Longer: Nine Simple Things You Can Do
Finding Help: New Choices for People With Early-Stage Alzheimer's
Great Pretenders: Common Ailments and Drugs Known to Monkey With Memory
Back to the first article in this Special Report: You’re Wiser Now
For an incurable disease like Alzheimer's, an ounce of prevention is
worth much more than a pound of cure—it's priceless. Fortunately, a
healthy dose of preventive medicine is as near as your local farmers'
market. Fresh fruits and vegetables are proven winners in the fight to stave
off dementia, and some research even suggests that these powerful plant foods
may turn back the cognitive clock.
"Fruits and vegetables are like mutual funds," says University of
Kentucky professor of neurology David Snowdon, Ph.D. "They're a big
pot of literally thousands of compounds that offer protection against a variety
of diseases, including Alzheimer's disease." Snowdon, who has devoted
his career to identifying factors that reduce the risk of Alzheimer's and
other brain diseases, ranks fruit and vegetable intake number one on his hit
list for middle-aged and older adults.
Though there's hardly a poor choice among them, here are some of the
best of the bunch when it comes to feeding your brain:
Cruciferous vegetables. Harvard researchers recently reported that
women in the Nurses' Health Study who ate the most broccoli, cauliflower,
and other cruciferous vegetables performed better on memory tests than women
the same age who ate the least. The difference in memory performance was the
equivalent of being about two years younger. Cruciferous vegetables also seemed
to put the brakes on age-related declines in memory and thinking, turning back
the cognitive clock by about a year and a half.
Green leafy vegetables. Spinach and other leafy greens are among the
richest sources of folate. This B vitamin appears to play a major role in
preventing stroke, which accounts for 25 percent of dementia cases. Folate may
also play a role in reducing the risk of Alzheimer's disease by helping the
body break down homocysteine, an amino acid that is toxic to nerve cells.
Find These Recipes and More on Our Good Food Channel
Blueberry and Strawberry Pie
Spiced Nuts
Cranberry Champagne Cocktail
Find More Delicious Recipes in Our Expanded Searchable Recipe Database
Blueberries. In tests of antioxidant power, blueberries take the blue
ribbon, beating out about 50 other fresh fruits and vegetables. They also
combat inflammation. In the fight against Alzheimer's disease, that one-two
punch is hard to beat, according to neuroscientist James Joseph, Ph.D., of the
Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University.
"Inflammation and oxidative stress are the evil Gemini twins of
aging," says Joseph. "Where you see one, you see the other."
Joseph calls blueberries the Dr. Phil of nerve cells because they get aging
brain cells talking to each other.
Healthy fats. Your brain is about 60 percent fat, so when it comes to
feeding your head, go a little nuts. Yes, nuts are high in fat, but it's
the right kind of fat—cholesterol-lowering, artery-protecting,
inflammation-fighting fat. Other smart choices for a healthy brain include
monounsaturated oils like olive and canola, and fatty fish such as salmon,
mackerel, and tuna. Population studies have shown that people whose diets are
high in these unsaturated, unhydrogenated fats may have a reduced risk of
Alzheimer's disease, while those whose diets are higher in saturated fats
(from meat and dairy) and trans fats (from margarine and hydrogenated oils)
have an increased risk.
Alcohol and juice. Moderate alcohol consumption is known to help the
heart, but new research suggests it also benefits the brain, most likely by
boosting blood flow and reducing the risk of tiny strokes. Moderate drinkers
(women who average one half to one drink and men who consume one to two drinks
per day) perform better on cognitive tests and show less decline in cognitive
function over time than nondrinkers. Fruit and vegetable juice may be just as
protective. At the first International Conference on the Prevention of Dementia
this June, researchers reported that older adults who drank at least three
glasses of juice a week had a 75 percent lower risk of Alzheimer's disease
compared to those who drank juice less than once a week.
 
Protection in a pill? While it may seem simpler to swallow a handful
of vitamins, minerals, and herbs, most experts caution against supplementing
with the nutrient du jour. "All of these goodies have a
curve," says Joseph, "and you have to stay on the right side of the
curve." For example, at high doses, antioxidants like vitamins C and E can
become pro-oxidants. There's another reason for caution—even though
some studies have linked low intakes or low blood levels of nutrients to an
increased risk of dementia, there's scant evidence that stocking up on
nutritional supplements reduces risk.
Older adults may benefit from supplements of the homocysteine-lowering B
vitamins folic acid and B12, since deficiencies of these nutrients become more
common with age. And if fish isn't your dish, an omega-3 fatty acid
supplement is probably a good idea. But if you want to keep your wits about
you, your best bet is to diversify your portfolio by eating a wide range of
colorful plant foods, choosing healthy fats, and enjoying an occasional glass
of wine. Bon appétit!
|
