Five Foods That Can Help Reduce Your Risk Of Alzheimer's Disease


When it comes to your health, there’s solid evidence that the key to stay in top shape is on your plate. If you want to protect your heart, there’s a diet for that. Want to increase energy or cut your risk of diabetes? There are foods that can help in these cases as well. But what about the mind? What kind of food can you eat to protect you from Alzheimer’s disease?

According to a recent study, there’s a diet for that too! It’s called the MIND diet – which stands for Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay. In the study, researcher found that people who followed the MIND diet had as much as a 53 percent reduction in risk for Alzheimer’s. Here’s what you should incorporate in your daily diet:

Leafy Greens

Leafy greens generally contain more vitamin E than other vegetables, and the nutrient is a powerful antioxidant that may help keep neurons healthy. For an extra boost, drizzle some olive oil on your salad. Its healthy fats increase absorption of vitamin E. Two separate studies of older adults found that eating more than two servings of leafy greens a day was associated with slower cognitive decline overall. Participants who consumed more than two servings daily appeared to have a level of brain function equivalent to that of people five years younger.

Berries

A study of roughly 16,000 women age 70 and older revealed that eating at least one serving of blueberries or two servings of strawberries a week delayed cognitive aging by up to two and a half years compared with those who ate less of either fruit. Scientists attribute the antiaging effects to anthocyanins, an antioxidants that help protect neurons in regions of the brain related to learning and memory. So, if you like to add fruit to your cereal or yogurt, go for blueberries and strawberries, they’re clear winners!

Wine

I love this one! A 2014 British Journal of Nutrition study, which followed healthy subjects ages 43 to 70 for five years, discovered that red wine drinkers who consumed about one and a half glasses per day experienced the least memory loss compared with those who drank less. Additionally, multiple studies have found that drinking vino in moderation may help your heart, but the good news doesn’t stop there. New research suggests it may also help prevent cognitive decline. Cheers!

Fish

According to a recent study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, consuming baked or broiled fish even once a week may increase gray matter, a type of brain tissue that diminishes with Alzheimer’s disease.

Nuts

Almonds and Hazelnuts are two of the most concentrated sources of vitamin E available, and vitamin E intake is generally associated with less age-related cognitive decline. 1/4 cup of almonds or hazelnuts packs in nearly 50% of the RDA for vitamin E. A large study of over 100,000 people conducted by Harvard University found that participants who consumed more nuts improved statistically and clinically in memory and verbal measures, while participants who received a placebo did not.

Well, it’s time to go nuts for brain health!

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