The focus in the following nutrition tips to reap the rewards of a healthy diet for the brain:
1) Vegetables: The latest news from neuroscience confirm what mom always said: Eat your vegetables! Despite all the interest in vitamins and food supplements, the best advice is to eat a variety of green vegetables, colorful, cruciferous and leafy.
A recent federal study of 13,388 nurses who have continued their consumption by 10 years found that women who ate more cruciferous vegetables and more luxuriant, including broccoli, cauliflower, salad greens and spinach, had a lower rate of decline in a battery of tests of learning and memory. The more of these vegetables they ate, the better they performed.
A diet rich in fruits and vegetables has been promoted for their potential to help the heart and fight cancer, so it is not surprising that such a diet is also good for your brain. Vegetables and fruits have antioxidants and other vitamins and minerals, low in fat and are generally low in calories.
2) Antioxidants: Of all dietary factors are being investigated to reduce mental decline with aging, antioxidants have received the most attention. Antioxidants, including vitamins C, E and beta carotene (a form of vitamin A), reduce oxidative damage to cells.
Oxidation, which can be thought of as the biological equivalent of rust, appears to contribute to aging and cognitive decline.
Human studies using antioxidants have yielded mixed results. This is partly because our diets are generally quite diverse, and it is very difficult to prove that the health benefits are the result of any dietary factor. Animal studies, firstly, have demonstrated the benefits constant in diets rich in antioxidants.
For example, a series of studies in beagles found that antioxidant-rich diet, prevented or delayed age-related declines in various learning tasks. The animals were fed the special diet had improved their performance in simple and complex cognitive tests.
In fact, aged dogs that could not perform one of the hardest tests in the beginning of the study could make after three years in the diet.
A series of studies at Tufts University, has shown that animals fed a diet of blueberries, have improved their short-term memory and balance. The ingredient that gives blueberries their red color, appears to provide them with powerful antioxidant properties.
3) Omega-3 fatty acids: Omega-3s are a particular type of polyunsaturated fat that is found in oily fish. The scientific literature indicates that omega-3s are important for brain function and through life, and may help protect the brain against aging.
Fatty acids appear to work partly in opposition to free radicals that cause oxidative damage to neurons, and some research suggests they may help improve the efficiency of transmission of nerve signals in synapses.
The best sources of omega-3s are mackerel, herring, sardines, tuna, anchovies, whitefish, and cod.
4) Vitamin B: The B vitamins are of interest because of its effectiveness in lowering levels of homocysteine, a blood protein that is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease and Alzheimer ’s and other dementias. In particular, scientists are investigating whether folate, or folic acid may play a role in preventing Alzheimer’s disease. Folate and other B vitamins are currently being evaluated in clinical trials for people with Alzheimer ’s.
5) Supplements Multivitamins: Most experts recommend that older adults are more a daily regimen of multivitamins as a supplement to a healthy diet.
A common false belief is that if taking some vitamins is good, take more may be better. This is not always the case, and some vitamins can be dangerous in high doses. A recent study found that people taking moderate to high doses of vitamin E, had increased its total mortality rates. The vitamin is an antioxidant that is studied for health-protective effects in a number of clinical trials.
Vitamins and natural remedies can also interact with prescription medications, lowering its effectiveness or causing harmful effects. When you visit your doctor, bring a list of medications you take, and be sure to include any supplements (vitamins) and their numbers in the list.
Tags: cardiovascular disease, healthy diet, natural remedies, Nutrition, Vitamins
