A diet that is good for the heart can also prevent forgetfulness later in life.
The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, or DASH diet, is low in salt, sugar and red meat, and high in fruits, vegetables, legumes and nuts, low-fat dairy products and grains.
A new study involving more than 5,000 middle-aged women gave each a score for how close their typical food intake came to the DASH diet.
On average, about 30 years later, the women were asked about six types of daily cognitive problems, including difficulty remembering a shopping list or recent events.
If they reported at least two, it indicated a decline in their mental abilities.
Experts believe that a diet like DASH, which is good for the heart, cholesterol and blood pressure, also keeps the brain healthy – probably by reducing inflammation (stock photo)
Women who followed the healthiest diet, which was close to the DASH rules, were 17 percent less likely to experience this mental decline.
Experts believe that a diet like DASH, which is good for the heart, cholesterol levels and blood pressure, also keeps the brain healthy – probably by reducing inflammation.
Professor Yu Chen, senior author of the study from NYU Grossman School of Medicine in the US, said: ‘Our findings suggest that it is important to have a healthy diet in middle age, which will benefit both the brain and brain over the years. can benefit the heart. .
‘Reducing salt, sugar and fat to lower blood pressure could also help prevent Alzheimer’s disease.
‘This is a simple diet, with good advice, such as eating more vegetables, less meat and fewer sweet treats such as cake and ice cream.’
Researchers looked at volunteers from a long-term study of women’s health, who were asked about their diet when they were between the ages of 35 and 65, and then about six cognitive problems when they were over the age of 65 (SUBS – please stay) .
The most common problem was memory problems; 40 percent of women reported a recent change in their ability to remember things.
Meanwhile, 19 percent reported difficulty remembering a short list of items, such as a shopping list, and 17 percent had difficulty remembering recent events.
The three other cognitive problems asked about were less common, affecting no more than six percent of women in the study.
These included problems understanding or following spoken instructions, problems following a group conversation or the plot of a television program, and problems navigating familiar streets.
The women were divided into four groups based on the extent to which their diet met the DASH rules on average 33 years earlier.
A healthier diet – for example the transition from the fourth to the third group – was associated with a seven percent reduced risk of at least two cognitive problems.
This was the case even when factors associated with memory problems later in life were taken into account, such as smoking, lower education or a high BMI.
However, researchers did not take into account some other factors that could have an impact, including social contact, exercise and sleep levels.
The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, or DASH diet, is low in salt, sugar and red meat, and high in fruits, vegetables, legumes and nuts, low-fat dairy products and grains (stock photo)
The study assessed that women only had a potential decline in their mental skills if they reported two or more cognitive problems from the list of six – because some memory loss is normal in old age.
While the cognitive problems looked at in the study make life more difficult for older people, in some cases they can be a sign of mild cognitive impairment, which can progress to a diagnosis of dementia, such as Alzheimer’s disease.
Experts therefore suspect that a healthy diet that protects against memory loss later in life could also help prevent Alzheimer’s disease.
How closely women adhered to the DASH diet was assessed by asking them about the foods they ate.
They were scored from one to five on eight types of food, with higher scores for low intake of red meat, salty and sweet foods such as cake and ice cream, and higher scores for high intake of fruit, including fruit juice, vegetables, excluding potatoes , legumes such as peas and beans and nuts, low-fat dairy and grains.
The highest scores, out of 40, place women in the top group with the most DASH-compliant diet.
Compared to those in the bottom group of four, with the least compliant diet, these women were 17 percent less likely to have at least two cognitive problems.
The findings were published in the journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia.