Mediterranean Diet is Good for Your Brain

When someone who is getting older misplaces their glasses or car keys, it’s humorous to call it a “senior moment”. Loss of memory can come with aging, but there is a simple lifestyle change that can help to delay and slow down that process. A ground breaking study from Ben Gurion University in Israel has shown that eating the Mediterranean diet can help to slow brain aging, and the cognitive decline that goes with it. This well known style of eating is centred around healthy foods like olive oil, whole grains, vegetables, eggs, fish, and poultry. The study used MRI brain imaging to show that following the Mediterranean diet slowed age-related brain atrophy by 50% in just 18 months. The data also showed that lowering blood sugar is one of the most important factors in slowing age-related brain changes. When they added green or white tea to the diet it was even more effective, as these teas are rich in polyphenols which balance blood sugar levels. They concluded that eating the right foods is an easy way to keep your brain-age younger than your actual age, and it may make “senior moments” a distant memory.