Eating just one serving of leafy greens a day may lower your risk of dementia and age your brain, a study suggests.
Scans showed that seniors who ate at least six servings of vegetables had fewer plaques associated with Alzheimer’s disease and had brains four years younger than their peers.
Dementia is thought to be caused by amyloid proteins in the brain clumping together and causing damage to important neurons.
Green leafy vegetables are rich in antioxidants that may help protect the brain from oxidative stress, which is related to the buildup of these amyloid plaques.
Study author Puja Agarwal, of RUSH University in Chicago, said: ‘These results are exciting. Improving people’s diets in just one area – such as eating more than six servings of green leafy vegetables per week or not eating fried foods – was associated with fewer amyloid plaques in the brain, comparable to being about four years younger.’
People who ate the most green leafy vegetables, or seven or more servings per week, had plaque amounts in their brains equivalent to being nearly 19 years younger than people who ate the fewest, with one or fewer servings per week, so the study showed
Researchers looked at 581 people, an average of 84 at the time of the dietary review, who agreed to donate their brains upon death to advance dementia research.
They filled out annual questionnaires asking them how much of different foods they ate.
Those involved in the study died on average seven years after the start of the study.
Just before death, 39 percent had been diagnosed with dementia. When examined after death, 66 percent met the criteria for Alzheimer’s disease.
During an autopsy examination, researchers examined their brains to determine the amount of amyloid plaques and tau tangles.
Both are found in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease, but can also be found in the brains of older people with normal cognition.
Researchers then looked back at the food questionnaires that were collected and ranked the quality of the diet for each person.
They were given scores based on how strictly they adhered to a version of the Mediterranean diet that prioritizes leafy greens like spinach and kale and other greens.
The scientists found that people who followed the vegetarian diet scored one point higher and had the same amount of plaque in their brains as people who were 4.25 years younger.
The traditional Mediterranean diet, which is similar but emphasizes olive oil, nuts and fish, has been linked to numerous health benefits, including cardiovascular disease, and longer life.
Before the Mediterranean diet, there were 11 food categories.
People were scored from zero to 55, with higher scores if they adhered to the diet in these categories: whole grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes, olive oil, fish, and potatoes.
Eating red meat, poultry and full-fat dairy products resulted in a lower score.
For the Mediterranean-DASH Diet Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay (MIND) there were 15 categories.
People were given a score of zero to 15, with one point each for 10 brain-healthy food groups, including green leafy vegetables, other vegetables, nuts, berries, beans, whole grains, fish, poultry, olive oil and wine.
The researchers found that people who scored highest on the Mediterranean diet had average levels of plaque and tangle in their brains, similar to those 18 years younger than people who scored lowest.
Published in Neurologyit also found that people who scored the highest for following the MIND diet had an average amount of plaque and tangles comparable to those 12 years younger than those who scored the lowest.
People who ate the most green leafy vegetables, or seven or more servings per week, had plaque amounts in their brains equivalent to being nearly 19 years younger than people who ate the fewest, with one or fewer servings per week.
Dr. Agarwal added that while the study found an association between specific diets and fewer dementia plaques, it did not establish a cause-and-effect relationship.
He said: ‘While our research does not prove that a healthy diet resulted in fewer brain deposits of amyloid plaques, also known as an indicator of Alzheimer’s disease, we do know that there is a link and following the MIND and Mediterranean diets may have a be way. that people can improve their brain health and protect cognition as they age.
“Future studies are needed to further establish our findings.”