A Better Diet May Prevent Brain Shrinkage in Older Adults

A study published in Neurology found a vegetable-, fruit-, nut,- and fish-rich diet may give older adults bigger brains, reports Medical Xpress . "People with greater brain volume have been shown in other studies to have better cognitive abilities, so initiatives that help improve diet quality may be a good strategy to maintain thinking skills in older adults," says the Erasmus University Medical Center's Meike W. Vernooij. Included in the study were 4,213 dementia-free Dutch people, average age 66. The researchers studied their diet quality based on Dutch guidelines by examining intake of vegetables, fruit, whole grain products, legumes, nuts, dairy, fish, tea, unsaturated fats and oils of total fats, red and processed meat, sugary beverages, alcohol, and salt. The optimal diet consisted of vegetables, fruit, nuts, whole grains, dairy, and fish, and limited consumption of sugary drinks. All participants underwent magnetic resonance imaging brain scans to determine brain volume, the number of brain white matter lesions, and small brain bleeds. Subjects had an average total brain volume of 932 milliliters. Following adjustment for age, sex, education, smoking, and physical activity, the team found a higher diet score was associated with larger total brain volume. Consumers on a better diet had an average two milliliters more total brain volume than those who were not. No association was seen between diet and brain white matter lesions or small brain bleeds.