No one can argue against the fact that good nutrition is vital to all health, including brain health. However, understanding the way some nutritional elements protect our physiological functions is still in its infancy. Including how what we eat – and our activities - affect the way our brain functions over time.
A new study outlined in this article has made an important step forward in this vital field of research.
Why we need to understand links between nutrition and dementia
Global investment and interest in finding ways to avoid dementia in later life are ongoing and urgent. As it’s believed that one million people in the UK will have dementia by 2025. By 2050 that already shocking figure will have doubled in size.
Why do thinking, reasoning, and remembering (collectively known as cognitive abilities) decline in some people and not others? What makes some individuals more vulnerable to dementia-causing conditions, especially Alzheimer’s Disease?
There are some ways to protect ourselves against cognitive decline that are becoming clearer.
Early indicator of dementia, and clues on nutritional impact
One of the biggest areas of interest in medical research on this subject is whether nutrition and exercise can better protect our brain and mental health.
Recently, a new study by the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at Kings College London was published.
It was inspired by evidence that: “Several lifestyle factors have emerged as potentially modifiable risk factors for CD and dementia, which may offer promising targets for early preventive strategies.”
The research data shed important light on how exercise, nutrition and in particular vitamin D levels, carotenoids and lipid levels relate to the speed at which brain cells die off. This was achieved by focusing on the process known as hippocampal neurogenesis.
This term refers to the way the brain creates new cells to maintain its health and function.
When publishing their findings in Alzheimer's & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association, the research team drew attention to the way alterations in neurogenesis could possibly be an early indication – or a biomarker – of cognitive decline and dementia.
Then, the team took this further and looked at the effects of exercise and nutrition on this process. This was achieved by testing blood samples taken from French people aged over 65, which had been drawn in the 12 years prior to them receiving a diagnosis of cognitive decline or dementia.
They found early indicators of neural stem cell death. Also, they chartered significant differences in worsening cognitive abilities, according to whether the individual had reduced physical activity and poor diet.
The research lead reporter, Dr Andrea du Preez, said: “While more work is undoubtedly needed to fully understand how diet and exercise might modulate hippocampal neurogenesis, our findings may represent an effective early preventative strategy against CD and dementia."
What can you eat to protect brain health?
What can we take from this new research, while we wait for further investigation into the links between exercise, nutrition and cognition decline?
As the report mentioned above indicates, there is already evidence to suggest certain foods can offer a degree of protection for brain health. Including the value of the Mediterranean Diet.
That suggests advantages in increasing consumption of the folate and flavonoids in dark leafy vegetables like spinach, kale and broccoli and other flavonoids in berries. As well as omega-3 fatty acids, found in fish and nuts for example. It has been widely publicised that maintaining good levels of vitamin D from natural light or certain foodstuffs is good for your brain.
This study and previous research have also highlighted an association between carotenoid levels and dementia, which also points to the value of eating carrots, leafy veg, tomatoes and bell peppers for example.
Even moderate quantities of coffee, cocoa and red wine have been marked out as a way of supporting brain health!
It’s important to stress that eating large amounts of certain nutrients and exercising regularly are not being touted as the ultimate defence. What is increasingly evident is that poor nutrition – and insufficient amounts of some nutrients – does increase your vulnerability to this and other medical conditions.
We will continue to watch research into dementia – and ways to protect cognitive abilities – to bring you the latest nutritional insights and naturopathic recommendations supported by scientific discovery.
Additional source:
https://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/foods-linked-to-better-brainpower
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-08-lack-poor-nutrition-diseases-dementia.html
