Can the Green-Mediterranean Diet Slow Brain Aging?
Following a green-Mediterranean diet—which includes green tea and the aquatic plant Mankai—is associated with slower brain aging, according to a study.
The study, published August 23 in the journal Clinical Nutrition, was co-authored by researchers at Ben-Gurion University, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and the University of Leipzig.
Neurological conditions, including mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease, have been associated with a higher brain age gap—a brain that’s “older” than would be predicted given a person’s chronological age. To evaluate the impact of diet on brain age, researchers analyzed data from around 300 participants in the DIRECT PLUS trial, one of the longest-running studies on the link between brain and diet. Over the course of 18 months, the participants consumed one of three diets: a standard healthy diet; a traditional calorie-restricted Mediterranean diet, which was low in simple carbohydrates, rich in vegetables, and replaced red meat with poultry and fish; and the green-Mediterranean diet, which additionally included green tea and Mankai.
Excerpted from Harvard School of Public Health
