The Heart-Healthy Diet That Could Help You Improve Cognitive Functioning and Prevent Memory Loss by 17%
Can Your Diet Really Shape Your Memory As You Age?
A recent investigation by New York University has unveiled a potential link between heart-healthy diets and a reduced risk of memory loss in later years.
Adherence to the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet, which emphasizes low intake of salt, sugar, and red meat, while promoting fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, low-fat dairy, and grains, may play a crucial role in maintaining cognitive function.
The study included over 5,000 women in middle age, evaluating their dietary habits and their alignment with the DASH diet principles. Roughly three decades later, these women were reassessed, this time focusing on their cognitive abilities, particularly in everyday tasks such as recalling shopping lists or recent occurrences. Indicators of cognitive decline were noted in those who reported multiple instances of such difficulties.
Remarkably, those who followed a diet most closely aligned with the DASH guidelines exhibited a 17% lower likelihood of experiencing these cognitive challenges.
Specialists propose that the heart, cholesterol, and blood pressure benefits of the DASH diet may concurrently support brain health, potentially through the reduction of inflammation.
Aging Gracefully: The DASH Diet’s Role in Reducing Age-Related Memory Loss
Professor Yu Chen from the NYU Grossman School of Medicine emphasized the importance of a nutritious diet during middle age for its cumulative benefits on both heart and brain health.
“Reducing salt, sugar and fat to reduce blood pressure could also help to ward off Alzheimer’s disease.
“This is a simple diet to follow, with good advice like eating more vegetables, less meat and fewer sweet treats like cakes and ice cream.”
The study’s participant pool was derived from a longstanding women’s health study, with initial dietary assessments conducted on individuals aged 35 to 65, followed by cognitive assessments in their later years.
Memory issues were the predominant concern, with 40% of the female participants noting recent challenges in recalling information. Additionally, 19% found it hard to recall short sequences like shopping lists, while 17% had difficulty remembering fresh incidents.
Other cognitive challenges, experienced by a maximum of 6% of the participants, included understanding verbal instructions, keeping up with group discussions or TV show plots, and orienting themselves on known roads.
Participants were classified into four categories based on their dietary adherence to DASH guidelines approximately 33 years prior. Notably, a shift towards a healthier diet, such as transitioning from the least adherent group to a slightly more adherent group, corresponded with a 7% decrease in the risk of experiencing two or more cognitive challenges. This association remained consistent even when accounting for known risk factors like smoking, lower educational levels, or elevated BMI.
Yet, the study didn’t consider other potential influencers like social interactions, physical activity, or quality of sleep. Participants were only deemed to have potential cognitive decline if they reported two or more issues from a predefined list of six – recognizing that age-related memory lapses are natural.
Certain cognitive challenges identified can be indicative of mild cognitive impairment, which might escalate to conditions such as Alzheimer’s. Thus, experts infer that a nutritious diet that safeguards against memory decline may also deter Alzheimer’s onset.
Participants’ adherence to the DASH diet was assessed based on their dietary reports. They received scores ranging from one to five across eight food categories.
Favorable scores were given for minimal consumption of red meat, salt, and sugary treats like cakes, and for increased consumption of fruits, specific vegetables, legumes, nuts, low-fat dairy, and grains.
Women who attained the maximum scores, reaching 40, were categorized as the most adherent to the DASH dietary guidelines.
In contrast, individuals in the lowest quartile, demonstrating minimal adherence, had a 17% greater likelihood of experiencing two or more cognitive issues.
These findings were documented in the journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia.
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