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Healthy Diet Linked with Better Reading Skills in Children

To help set your kids up for academic success, don’t overlook the importance of a healthy diet. Scientists analyzed the eating habits of 161 Finnish children in first grade, then monitored their academic performance in grades 1-3. Kids with healthier diets that emphasized fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fish, nuts, and low fat dairy, had better reading fluency and reading comprehension than those whose diets ranked more poorly. There were no statistically significant differences in math performance related to diet.
European Journal of Nutrition. 2016 Sep 9. [Epub ahead of print] (Haapala EA et al.)

Mediterranean Diet Linked with Cognitive Benefits, Less Conversion to Alzheimer’s

Research continues to tout the brain benefits of a delicious and nutritious Mediterranean diet. In a review article, Australian researchers analyzed more than a dozen longitudinal and prospective studies (where participants are observed over a long period of time) to determine the link between eating patterns and cognitive health. In the 18 studies, encompassing nearly 60,000 adults total, the scientists found that closely following a Mediterranean diet was associated with “slower rates of cognitive decline, reduced conversion to Alzheimer’s disease, and improvements in cognitive function.” More specifically, the Mediterranean diet was linked with better memory, executive function (which controls behavior, planning, and reasoning), and visual constructs.
Frontiers in Nutrition. 2016 Jul 22;3:22. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2016.00022. [Epub] (Hardman RJ et al.)

Eating Fruit While Pregnant May Help Your Baby's Memory & Brain Function

The current recommendation for pregnant women is to eat 2 cups of fruit per day (3−4 servings). However, a recent study suggests that eating as many as 3 cups of fruit per day (6−7 servings) during pregnancy is linked with improved memory and brain function of infants. In this study, Canadian researchers looked at how eating fruit during pregnancy affects babies. In a group of more than 650 babies, the researchers found that eating more fruit during pregnancy was associated with beneficial effects on babies’ brains, regardless of the mother’s level of education, socioeconomic status, other eating habits, and daily vitamin intake.
EBioMedicine. 2016 April;EBIOM−00578;No of Pages 10. (Bolduc FV et al.)

Healthy Diet with Whole Grains, Fruits, Vegetables May Protect Against Cognitive Decline

Since there is no known cure for cognitive decline, prevention and deceleration of this condition are an important area of research. Most people’s diets change from time to time, so researchers wanted to study how these changes affect cognition. In a study of over 2000 Swedish older adults at least 60 years old, eating a “Western diet” (lots of refined or processed foods, red meats, high fat dairy products, saturated/trans fats, and sugar) was associated with more cognitive decline, whereas eating a more “prudent” diet (a healthy diet with lots of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, rice/pasta, legumes, nuts, fish, and low-fat dairy products) was associated with a deceleration of cognitive decline. However, the most fascinating finding is that every little bit helps. More frequent intake of foods from the “prudent” diet might weaken the negative cognitive effects associated with the Western diet, even if you’re unable to change all your habits.
Alzheimers and Dementia. 2016 Feb;12(2):100-9. (Shakersain B, et al.)

Traditional Foods Improve Health and Happiness in Dementia Patients

While most nutrition studies focus on food and nutrients, traditions and culture can also be used to enrich wellness. To see how changing the menu at nursing homes to reflect more culturally tailored meals affects dementia patients, Norwegian researchers conducted in-depth interviews with family members and nurses of patients at six nursing homes, spanning three cultural groups: Sami (or Lapps), Norwegian, and Black South African. According to the researchers, “Familiar tastes and smells awoke pleasant memories in patients and boosted their sense of well-being, identity and belonging, even producing words in those who usually did not speak.” They concluded that “traditional food further improves patients’ appetite, nutritional intake and quality of life.”
Journal of Clinical Nursing. 2016 Jan 11. [Epub ahead of print] (Hanssen I et al.)

Mediterranean Diet Linked with Better Brain Structure in Elderly

The Mediterranean diet has long been associated with healthy aging, but emerging research is shedding new light onto why this might be. Researchers analyzed the eating patterns and brain size in 674 elderly (average age 80) adults without dementia in New York City. They found that those most closely following the Mediterranean diet had larger brains (total brain volume, grey matter, and white matter), with an effect similar to 5 years of aging. Of the specific foods studied, eating 3-5 oz fish weekly, and keeping meat intake under 3.5 oz per day, was also linked with larger brain volumes, equivalent to about 3-4 years of aging. These results suggest that a Mediterranean diet, especially one that encourages fish consumption over meat consumption, could promote brain health, as brain atrophy (brain shrinkage) has been linked with cognitive decline.
Neurology. 2015 Oct 21. (Gu Y et al.) [Epub ahead of print.]

Mediterranean Diet Reduces Risk of Cognitive Decline

Just because you don’t live in the Mediterranean, doesn’t mean you can’t benefit from the Mediterranean diet. An Australian study followed 527 healthy older adults (average age=69 years) in 3 different dietary pattern groups (Australian-style Mediterranean, Prudent/healthy, and Western) over a 3-year period. Researchers found that in participants with genetic predisposition to Alzheimers disease (APoE4 allele carriers), high adherence to the Australian-style Mediterranean diet (high in fruits, vegetables, legumes, grains, and fish) was associated with better executive function, the set of mental processes used in planning, strategizing, remembering details, and managing time and space.
Molecular Psychiatry. 2014 July 29. [Epub ahead of print] (Gardener SL et al.) 

Med Diet Linked with Better Cognitive Function

Researchers analyzed the food intake and cognitive function in a group of 3,831 older adults in Utah over 11 years. Those most closely following a DASH diet (a healthy diet used to treat hypertension that emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low fat dairy, and limited sweets and salt) or Mediterranean diet at the start of the study were found to have consistently better cognitive function than those not following those diets. In particular, whole grains, nuts, and legumes were all linked with better cognitive function, and the researchers concluded that these “may be core neuroprotective foods common to various healthy plant-centered diets around the globe.”
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2013 Nov;98(5):1263-71. (Wengreen H et al.)

Med Diet Associated with Healthy Aging

A new study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine demonstrates that eating a Mediterranean Diet is associated with greater health and well-being in older age. The study analyzed food frequency questionnaires collected between 1984 and 1986 from 10,670 women in their late 50s and early 60s with no major chronic diseases. Fifteen years later researchers again collected data from the same women and found that those who had adhered to a Mediterranean Diet in middle age were about 40% more likely to live past 70 and to have avoided 11 chronic diseases measured in the study including many cancers, type 2 diabetes, and Parkinson’s disease. Those who most closely followed a Med Diet also were more likely to age without physical disabilities, signs of cognitive impairment, or mental health problems.
Annals of Internal Medicine. 2013; 159(9): 584-591. (Samieri, et al.)

Traditional Japanese Diet Linked with Lower Risk of Dementia

The Mediterranean Diet is well-studied for its role in preventing dementia, but researchers wonder if a diet rooted in Asian culinary traditions might also be effective. Researchers analyzed the eating habits of 1,006 elderly Japanese adults and monitored them for any signs of dementia. Those eating a diet with lots of soy, vegetables, algae, and dairy, which the researchers note is “roughly correspondent to a customary Japanese diet,” were 44% less likely to develop all-cause dementia, 35% less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease, and 55% less likely to develop vascular dementia.
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2013 May;97(5):1076-82. (Ozawa M et al.)

Mediterranean Diet and Risk of Incident Cognitive Impairment

Researchers from Greece, the Czech Republic, and the United States collaborated to follow more than 17,000 individuals for approximately 4 years to evaluate the effects of the Mediterranean Diet on cognitive status. Using Food Frequency Questionnaires, they determined that higher adherence to the Mediterranean Diet was associated with lower likelihood of incident cognitive impairment, even after adjusting for demographic characteristics, environmental factors, vascular risk factors, depressive symptoms, and self-reported health status. Although higher adherence to the Mediterranean Diet reduced risk of incident cognitive impairment in nondiabetic individuals, it did not yield the same results in patients with diabetes.

Neurology. 2013 Apr 30; 80(18):1684-1692. (Tsivgoulis et al.)

Mediterranean Diet, Cognitive Function and Dementia

A group in the UK conducted a systematic review of the literature currently available concerning the possible relationship between the Mediterranean diet, cognitive function and dementia. After analyzing the available research they found that most published studies (9 out of 12) suggest greater adherence to a Mediterranean diet is associated with slower mental decline and decreased risk for Alzheimer’s disease. More research is needed to clarify the relationship of the Med Diet with vascular dementia and mild cognitive impairment.

Epidemiology. 2013; 24(4):479-489. (Lourida et al.)

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