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These Foods Can Help Preserve Your Intelligence

Discussion in 'Dietetics' started by Ghada Ali youssef, Jan 18, 2017.

  1. Ghada Ali youssef

    Ghada Ali youssef Golden Member

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    0ef3c39611aea97a18dd2375863b1a75.jpg Advances in the field of nutritional cognitive neuroscience have led researchers to conclude that specific nutrients, found in specific foods, have beneficial effects on brain aging and can help slow down the loss of executive brain functions such as planning, problem solving and memory.

    But scientists are just beginning to unravel the complex process by which individual nutrients and dietary patterns benefit the brain over time. In a study published in Frontiers of Aging Neuroscience, researchers proposed that lutein—a nutrient found in spinach, egg yolks and other foods that is already known to protect against age-related macular degeneration—is associated with the preservation of “crystallized intelligence,” or the intelligence you develop over the course of a lifetime.

    In this study, the researchers not only confirmed the relationship between lutein and crystallized intelligence, they identified the particular area of the brain—the parahippocampal cortex—that facilitates the relationship between this nutrient and the aging brain. They found that those with higher levels of lutein in their blood also have more gray matter in this region of the brain, indicating healthy aging of the brain.

    The next step for researchers is to figure out exactly how lutein affects the structure of the parahippocampal cortex. Meanwhile, whether they eventually find that it is lutein’s known anti-inflammatory properties that protect the brain from the potentially devastating effects of aging, or something else, your next step is to make sure you get plenty of this important nutrient in your diet.

    That shouldn’t be too difficult, since lutein is found in a variety of fresh foods. Those with the most lutein include:
    • egg yolk
    1539325aaf699d1ef85f733d3736e77c.jpg
    • corn
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    • kiwi fruit
    20d5acb9f1ef52f80cb54ceb36c408f6.jpg
    • grapes
    ba86aa2ab9e611a5fefadedad35d6e9a.jpg
    • zucchini and other summer squash
    4b967e48e6aa5983d81f70400a0cecd6.jpg
    • pumpkin, butternut squash and other winter squash
    52015bd98ce6a43f0dcdca63bf196800.jpg
    • spinach and other dark green leafy vegetables
    df2b2fc4315349025783ab9af58d6db1.jpg
    • cucumber
    f79a0363e19e1cbe57ec6d99dd090b09.jpg
    • green peas
    6a63820385461c4adc218305d1e02932.jpg
    • celery
    bbd407980c7b5ceb3562d49090204279.jpg
    48c11a65354250936db9d467a7931788.jpg
    • Brussels sprouts
    cceb569cc407dc86f9f28d13f30bc2df.jpg
    • scallions
    5f65ed05ec581c7a32bdedbffe26ca6d.jpg
    • green beans
    0ef3c39611aea97a18dd2375863b1a75.jpg

    In short, you now have one more good reason to eat a wide variety of fresh fruits and vegetables (along with your eggs, if you like).

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