The quote “food for thought” may be more than just a phrase, and worth considering if you are interested in keeping your wit sharp for as long as you can.
What you eat, or don’t eat, could help to prevent cognitive decline, according to research recently published in Nature Publishing Aging Group from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Center for Brain, Biology and Behavior and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The findings add to the growing body of evidence indicating that nutrition matters, providing details on how specific nutrients play pivotal roles in healthy brain aging.
This cross-sectional study involved 100 cognitively healthy participants between the ages of 65-75 years old who completed questionnaires with demographic information, body measurements, and physical activity. Participants underwent cognitive assessments and MRI scans, and blood plasma was collected following a fasting period to analyze the nutrient biomarkers.
What they found
The findings revealed 2 types of brain aging among the participants: accelerated and slower-than-expected; and those with slower brain aging had a distinct nutrient profile. Beneficial nutrient blood biomarkers were found to be a combination of fatty acids (vaccenic, gondoic, alpha-linolenic, elcosapentaenoic, eicosadienoic, and lignoceric acids); antioxidants and carotenoids including cis-lutein, trans-lutein, zeaxanthin; and two forms of vitamin E as well as choline.
Mediterranean diet profile
Interestingly enough, this profile is correlated with nutrients that are found in the Mediterranean diet, which research has previously associated with healthy brain aging and promoting overall healthy aging.
“We investigated specific nutrient biomarkers, such as fatty acid profiles, known in nutritional science to potentially offer health benefits. This aligns with the extensive body of research in the field demonstrating the positive health effects of the Mediterranean Diet, which emphasizes foods rich in these beneficial nutrients,” said Aron Barbe, director of the Center for Brain, Biology and Behavior Mildred Francis Thompson Professor of Psychology, who led the study. “The present study identifies particular nutrient biomarker patterns that are promising and have favorable associations with measures of cognitive performance and brain health.”
Directly linked to diet and nutrition
“The unique aspect of our study lies in its comprehensive approach, integrating data on nutrition, cognitive function, and brain imaging,” Barbey said. “This allows us to build a more robust understanding of the relationship between these factors. We move beyond simply measuring cognitive performance with traditional neuropsychological tests. Instead, we simultaneously examine brain structure, function, and metabolism, demonstrating a direct link between these brain properties and cognitive abilities. Furthermore, we show that these brain properties are directly linked to diet and nutrition, as revealed by the patterns observed in nutrient biomarkers.”
Next steps
“An important next step involves conducting randomized controlled trials. In these trials, we will isolate specific nutrients with favorable associations with cognitive function and brain health, and administer them in the form of nutraceuticals,” Barbey said. “This will allow us to definitively assess whether increasing the levels of these specific nutrient profiles reliably leads to improvements in cognitive test performance and measures of brain structure, function, and metabolism.”
Studying the impact of nutrition on brain health
“There’s immense scientific and medical interest in understanding the profound impact of nutrition on brain health,” Barbey said. “Recognizing this, the National Institutes of Health recently launched a ten-year strategic plan to significantly accelerate nutrition research. Our work directly aligns with this critical initiative, aiming to contribute valuable insights into how dietary patterns influence brain health and cognitive function.”Barbey is also co-editing an upcoming special collection for the Journal of Nutrition, “Nutrition and the Brain — Exploring Pathways to Optimal Brain Health Through Nutrition,” which is currently inviting submissions for consideration, and articles will begin publishing next year.
This article was written at the WHN News Desk
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References/Sources/Materials provided by:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41514-024-00150-8
https://jn.nutrition.org/article/S0022-3166(23)72686-2/fulltext
