Eating Vegetables May Keep Brains Young

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http://apnews.excite.com/article/20061023/D8KUJ2E81.html

New research on vegetables and aging gives mothers another reason to

say " I told you so. " It found that eating vegetables appears to help

keep the brain young and may slow the mental decline sometimes

associated with growing old.

On measures of mental sharpness, older people who ate more than two

servings of vegetables daily appeared about five years younger at the

end of the six-year study than those who ate few or no vegetables.

The research in almost 2,000 Chicago-area men and women doesn't prove

that vegetables reduce mental decline, but it adds to mounting

evidence pointing in that direction. The findings also echo previous

research in women only.

Green leafy vegetables including spinach, kale and collards appeared

to be the most beneficial. The researchers said that may be because

they contain healthy amounts of vitamin E, an antioxidant that is

believed to help fight chemicals produced by the body that can damage

cells.

Vegetables generally contain more vitamin E than fruits, which were

not linked with slowed mental decline in the study. Vegetables also

are often eaten with healthy fats such as salad oils, which help the

body absorb vitamin E and other antioxidants, said lead author Martha

Clare , a researcher at the Rush Institute for Healthy Aging at

Chicago's Rush University Medical Center.

The fats from healthy oils can help keep cholesterol low and arteries

clear, which both contribute to brain health.

The study was published in this week's issue of the journal Neurology

and funded with grants from the National Institute on Aging.

" This is a sound paper and contributes to our understanding of

cognitive decline, " said Dr. Meir Stampfer of Harvard's School of

Public Health.

" The findings specific for vegetables and not fruit add further

credibility that this is not simply a marker of a more healthful

lifestyle, " said Stampfer, who was not involved in the research.

The research involved 1,946 people aged 65 and older who filled out

questionnaires about their eating habits. A vegetable serving equaled

about a half-cup chopped or one cup if the vegetable was a raw leafy

green like spinach.

They also had mental function tests three times over about six years;

about 60 percent of the study volunteers were black.

The tests included measures of short-term and delayed memory, which

asked these older people to recall elements of a story that had just

been read to them. The participants also were given a flashcard-like

exercise using symbols and numbers.

Overall, people did gradually worse on these tests over time, but

those who ate more than two vegetable servings a day had about 40

percent less mental decline than those who ate few or no vegetables.

Their test results resembled what would be expected in people about

five years younger, said,

The study also found that people who ate lots of vegetables were more

physically active, adding to evidence that " what's good for your heart

is good for your brain, " said neuroscientist Carillo, director

of medical and scientific relations for the Alzheimer's Association.

The study examined mental decline but did not look at whether any of

the study volunteers developed Alzheimer's disease.

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Abstract from the article in Neurology:

Associations of vegetable and fruit consumption with age-related

cognitive change

M. C. , ScD, D. A. , MD, C. C. Tangney, PhD, J. L. Bienias,

ScD and R. S. , PhD

From Rush Institute for Healthy Aging (M.C.M., D.A.E., J.L.B.),

Department of Preventive Medicine (M.C.M., J.L.B.), Department of

Internal Medicine (M.C.M., D.A.E.), Department of Clinical Nutrition

(C.C.T.), Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center (R.S.W.), Department of

Neurological Sciences (R.S.W.), and Department of Psychology (R.S.W.),

Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL.

Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. Martha Clare

, Rush Institute for Healthy Aging, 1645 W. , Ste. 675,

Chicago, IL 60612; e-mail: Martha_C_@...

Objective: To examine the association between rates of cognitive

change and dietary consumption of fruits and vegetables among older

persons.

Methods: The authors conducted a prospective cohort study of 3,718

participants, aged 65 years and older of the Chicago Health and Aging

Project. Participants completed a food frequency questionnaire and

were administered at least two of three cognitive assessments at

baseline, 3-year, and 6-year follow-ups. Cognitive function was

measured using the average z-score of four tests: the East Boston

Tests of immediate memory and delayed recall, the Mini-Mental State

Examination, and the Symbol Digit Modalities Test.

Results: The mean cognitive score at baseline for the analyzed cohort

was 0.18 (range: †" 3.5 to 1.6), and the overall mean change in score

per year was a decline of 0.04 standardized units. In mixed effects

models adjusted for age, sex, race, and education, compared with the

rate of cognitive decline among persons in the lowest quintile of

vegetable intake (median of 0.9 servings/day), the rate for persons in

the fourth quintile (median, 2.8 servings/day) was slower by 0.019

standardized units per year (p = 0.01), a 40% decrease, and by 0.018

standardized units per year (p = 0.02) for the fifth quintile (median,

4.1 servings/day), or a 38% decrease in rates. The association

remained significant (p for linear trend = 0.02) with further control

of cardiovascular-related conditions and risk factors. Fruit

consumption was not associated with cognitive change.

Conclusion: High vegetable but not fruit consumption may be associated

with slower rate of cognitive decline with older age.