EATING SALAD EVERY DAY KEEPS BRAINS 11 YEARS YOUNGER AND PREVENTS DEMENTIA, STUDY SHOWS

In the quest to remain young, many have turned to supplements such as fish oil and vitamin B12 to stave off dementia or simply remember where we put the car keys. And with population projections indicating an increase in Alzheimer's disease across the world, researchers are looking for ways to prevent cognitive decline, and a possible health crisis. The Alzheimer's Association estimates that 16 million people could have the disease by 2050.

Nutritional epidemiologist Martha Clare Morris and her team at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago found that people who ate one to two servings of leafy green vegetables each day experienced fewer memory problems and cognitive decline compared to people who rarely ate spinach. In fact, Morris estimates that veggie lovers who included about 1.3 servings a day into their diets had brains that were roughly 11 years younger compared to those who consumed the least amount of foods like spinach or kale.
The study included 960 people, all between 58 and 99 years old and all without dementia. Everyone enrolled in the study was part of the Memory and Aging Project, which has been ongoing since 1979 at the Knight Alzheimer's Disease Research Center at Washington University. As part of their involvement in that project, participants completed questionnaires about their dietary habits over the course of nearly five years. Questions included assessments of how often people consumed spinach, salad, and kale, collards, or other greens. Participants also took yearly thinking and memory skill tests to gauge cognitive ability.

Then researchers divided subjects into groups depending on their consumption. Those who ate the most leafy greens averaged about 1.3 servings per day, while those who consumed the fewest greens averaged 0.1 servings a day. Scientists followed up with participants for 10 years and discovered that the rate of decline for those who ate the most was the equivalent to being 11 years younger in terms of brain age. The study was published Wednesdayin the journal Neurology.
But it’s not just leafy greens that could potentially keep our memories alive. According to Morris, the nutrients found in these vegetables that may be responsible for the brain boosting benefits are found in other food sources, too.

“Some of the nutrients already have excellent scientific evidence, such as vitamin E, a potent antioxidant which has been demonstrated in carefully controlled animal models to protect against neuron loss, oxidative stress and inflammation, and the accumulation of amyloid plaques,” she told Newsweek in an email. “Other of the nutrients are newly identified.” She cites nitrate, vitamin K and kaempferol as potential contributors to brain health that warrant further examination.
Because this study was observational, the data provide no concrete evidence of a causal relationship between spinach and brain health. For now, the connection is only a correlation, and does not extend to younger or nonwhite or Hispanic people. But adding a serving of spinach into your diet is never a bad idea.
“Daily consumption of leafy greens may be a simple and effective way to protect against loss in memory and other cognitive abilities,” said Morris.

Morris’ research used one half cup of cooked spinach as a single serving, which would have about 3.35 milligrams of vitamin E, according to the Harvard School of Public Health. Other good sources of the nutrient include almonds and some oils, like sunflower and safflower.