WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - During the yearly gathering of the American Society for Nutrition, Tufts University researchers shared a study exploring how lifelong healthy eating habits affect cognitive function in later years. The study analyzed data from over 3,000 individuals across nearly seven decades.
Kelly Cara, from Tufts University, Massachusetts, emphasized the importance of establishing healthy dietary patterns early in life to support long-term health, echoing the study's initial findings. The study focused on 3,059 adults from the 1946 British Birth Cohort, exploring their dietary patterns and cognitive abilities over more than 75 years.
The findings indicated a clear connection between diet quality and cognitive function in later life. Individuals adhering to high-quality diets displayed better cognitive abilities as they aged. Using the 2020 Healthy Eating Index to assess diet quality, the researchers discovered that participants with diets abundant in vegetables, fruits, legumes, and whole grains exhibited superior cognitive performance compared to those with diets high in sodium, added sugars, and refined grains.
By age 70, participants in the highest cognitive group demonstrated better retention of working memory, processing speed, and overall cognitive performance than those in the lowest cognitive group. Interestingly, researchers noted that slight disparities in diet quality during childhood appeared to influence later-life dietary patterns, for better or worse. This underscores the importance of lifelong dietary habits in shaping cognitive health.
Furthermore, the study proposed that consuming plant-based foods could offer specific benefits, suggesting that a diet rich in antioxidants and unsaturated fats may promote brain health. While the precise mechanisms behind these findings remain uncertain, the study emphasized the potential impact of diet on cognitive health.
Although the study focused on a Caucasian population in the UK, further research is necessary to ascertain if these results are applicable to more diverse groups.
Copyright(c) 2024 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX
© 2024 AFX News
