Cognitive decline can be slowed by diet high in leafy green vegetables

Research suggests the normal process of cognitive decline and brain ageing can be slowed by following a certain diet, high in leafy green vegetables, berries, wholegrains and beans, as well as including wine.
A research team from Rush University Medical Centre, in Chicago, conducted the study and showed that, for elderly people who followed the Mind diet stringently, they were seven and a half years younger cognitively (over a time period of almost five years) than those who did not follow the diet as strictly.
960 adults in the Chicago area had their cognitive abilities tested, and the group had an average age of 81.4 years. Their mental ability was found to have declined less, the stricter they followed the Mind diet.
The Mind diet stands for Mediterranean-DASH Diet Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay, and is a mix of the Mediterranean diet (which is high in vegetables, olive oil, nuts and little red meat), and the DASH eating plan (which focuses on controlling high blood pressure).
“The study findings suggest that the Mind diet substantially slows cognitive decline with age,” said Martha Clare Morris, who was involved in the study. “There is still a great deal of study we need to do in this area, and I expect that we’ll make further modifications as the science on diet and the brain advances.”