[ad_1]
THURSDAY 22 NOVEMBER 2018 When your mother told you to eat your veggies and drink your orange juice, she set about something: they could help preserve the health of your brain, make you feel better. after further research.
A 20-year study of men, health professionals, has established a diet rich in leafy vegetables, orange and red vegetables, berries and orange juice, to reduce the risk of loss of life. memory or "cognitive function".
"This study adds to existing research that increased consumption of fruits and vegetables over the long term could play an important role in maintaining cognitive function," said lead author Changzheng Yuan, a researcher. postdoctoral fellow at Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health.
Yuan warned that this study can not prove that these dietary choices loaded with nutrients reduce memory loss, but only that they are related. In addition, the results may not be applicable to women or men outside the health professions.
For the study, partially funded by the US National Institutes of Health, the researchers collected data on nearly 28,000 male health professionals, averaging 51 years old.
Participants completed questionnaires on the number of servings of fruit, vegetables, and other foods they ate at the beginning of the study, and then every four years for 20 years.
Fruits and vegetables contain high levels of antioxidant nutrients, the researchers noted.
A serving of fruit is defined as a cup of fruit or a half-cup of fruit juice. A serving of vegetables consists of a cup of raw vegetables or two cups of leafy vegetables.
Participants were asked about their thinking and memory skills at least four years before the end of the study, at the age of 73 on average.
The questions included: "Do you have more trouble than usual remembering a short list of articles, such as a shopping list?" and "Do you have more difficulty than usual in following a television program because of your memory?"
Memory changes were considered early signs of mild cognitive impairment.
Overall, 55% said they still had good thinking and memory skills, 38%, moderate skills and 7%, low thinking and memory skills, showed the results .
What was the protective effect? Men who ate the most vegetables – about six servings a day – were 34% less likely to develop mediocre thinking skills than those who ate the least – only two servings.
In addition, researchers found that daily orange juice drinkers were 47% less likely to develop poor thinking skills than men drinking less than one serving per month. This association was mostly observed in older men.
The study showed that less than 7% of frequent vegetable consumers developed a poor memory function, compared with 8% of men who avoided their fruits and vegetables. The results were similar among frequent and infrequent drinkers of orange juice.
Since fruit juices are usually high in calories, it's usually best to drink a small glass of 4 to 6 ounces a day, Yuan said. "Better to choose the whole fruit that contains the added benefit of fiber," she suggested.
Although men who eat the most fruits are also less likely to develop memory problems over time, this association is weakened when researchers explained the consumption of vegetables, fruit juices, refined grains, legumes and dairy products.
Long-term habits also seem to play a role. Those who ate a lot of fruits and vegetables 20 years before the memory test were less likely to develop problems of thinking and memory, whether they had it or not in the six years preceding the memory test.
Rebecca Edelmayer, director of scientific engagement at the Alzheimer's Association, commented that, this study relying on the recall of participants, it was not as rigorous than other studies.
That said, maintaining mental health is, to some extent, a lifestyle issue, as well as preventing heart disease, she added.
"It's a hot topic right now," Edelmayer said.
Healthy eating, exercise and mental stimulation could reduce your risk of mental decline, she said. "We see a future where Alzheimer's will be treated with a drug, but also with a lifelong intervention – as we do with heart disease," Edelmayer said.
The report was published online November 21 in Neurology.
More information
To learn more about the health of your brain, visit the Alzheimer's Association.
Copyright © 2018 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
[ad_2]
Source link
