NEWS FROM THE WORLD OF MEDICINE

FOODS THAT FIGHT DEMENTIA

- Beth Weinhouse

Foods that have been documented to be good for the heart are good for the brain too. Researchers from Harvard University and various institutions in China worked together to examine data from more than 10,000 people age 55 and over who were tracked for five years. They found that the people who ate three or more servings of vegetables and two or more servings of fruit each day performed best on brain tests and maintained those results over time. Cruciferous vegetables (think Brussels sprouts, cauliflower), green leafy vegetables (kale, spinach), and red and yellow vegetables (beets, squash) were most protective. In a separate study, researchers found that Americans with a higher intake of olive oil had a lower risk of dementia-related death.

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