(Source-Newsweek)
What you eat during your youth and middle age can significantly affect how your brain functions as you age, according to new research from Tufts University. As we grow older, especially after the age of 65, cognitive health performance often begins to decline, with severe conditions like dementia exacerbating these effects. While it’s well-established that maintaining a healthy diet in your 60s and 70s can help mitigate age-related cognitive decline, fewer studies have examined how lifelong eating habits influence cognitive aging.
A Comprehensive Longitudinal Study
Researchers at Tufts University conducted a comprehensive study, analyzing data from over 3,000 individuals over nearly seven decades. This long-term study aimed to determine how dietary patterns from age 4 to 70 impact cognitive health abilities later in life. High-quality diets were defined as those rich in fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains, and lower in sodium, added sugars, and refined grains, according to the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
The study found a clear association between dietary quality and cognitive health ability in later life. For instance, only 8% of individuals with low-quality diets maintained high cognitive health abilities into their 70s. Conversely, only about 7% of those with high-quality diets experienced a significant decline in cognitive ability compared to their peers.
“These initial findings generally support current public health guidance that it is important to establish healthy dietary patterns early in life to support and maintain health throughout life,” said Kelly Cara, a recent graduate of the Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, in a statement.
The Importance of Early and Midlife Dietary Changes
Cara emphasized that the findings also suggest improvements to dietary patterns up to midlife can positively influence cognitive performance and help mitigate cognitive decline in later years. The exact mechanisms behind these associations remain unclear, but researchers believe that a diet rich in plant-based foods, antioxidants, and unsaturated fats can support brain health by reducing damage from toxic metabolic byproducts and improving blood flow to the brain.
While the study is observational and involved primarily Caucasian individuals living in the U.K., it is the first of its kind to track diet and cognitive health ability across the lifespan. This pioneering research may help inform early intervention strategies and diagnoses in the future.
Upcoming Presentation and Future Research
Kelly Cara will present this groundbreaking research at NUTRITION 2024, the annual meeting of the American Society for Nutrition, in Chicago on Monday, July 1. The study’s findings underscore the importance of maintaining a healthy diet from a young age and adapting dietary habits up to midlife to support cognitive health in later years.
This new research highlights the significant impact that lifelong eating habits can have on cognitive health. Establishing and maintaining a high-quality diet rich in fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains, while avoiding excessive sodium, added sugars, and refined grains, can help support brain health and stave off cognitive decline as we age.
