I’ve been feeling kind of absent-minded lately, not because dementia is setting in (I’ve taken a couple of tests) but because I have so much on on my mind. So I was particularly interested in a new study that suggests we should eat better to ‘feed’ our memory functions…
Eating better can help preserve our memory functions in old age…
Researchers at the University of Technology in Sydney, Australia, (UTS) seem to have latched onto something pretty interesting, especially if you’re getting older and feeling dottier, like I am. They say that simply eating right – i.e.- following the reco0mmendationjs of the latest edition of Canada’s Food Guide, or switching to the Mediterranean Diet – can help us retain our memory functions in our later years.
What they did
A team led by Dr. Luna Xu of UTS studied data on 139,000 older Australians to determine the effects of diet on memory in the elderly. The data-mining study compared participants’ eating habits with their self-reported memory loss.
What they found
Xu found a clear association between diets high in fresh Fruits and Vegetables and Whole Grains with lowered odds of memory loss, along with lowered risk of heart disease and diabetes, which often accompany dementia. The demographic most at risk was people over the age of 80 who reported low consumption of Whole Grains.
The takeaway
Xu says the study’s results point to a need for age-specific healthy eating guidelines: “Dietary intervention in chronic disease prevention and management, by taking into consideration the fact that older populations often simultaneously deal with multiple chronic conditions, is a real challenge,” Xu noted. “To achieve the best outcome for our ageing population, strong scientific evidence that supports effective dietary intervention in preventing and managing co-occurring chronic conditions, is essential.”
My take
If healthier eating in our 80s is deemed important to preserving our cognitive and memory health, why not start now and bolster our systems against the ravages of aging to come? Here’s another solid recommendation for the Mediterranean Diet and following the official healthy eating guidelines set down by our national healthy authorities. Xu’s recommendations for better memory health in the elderly merely amount to a micro-focus on the broader issue of better eating for better health in general.
~ Maggie J.