Can a Plant-Based Diet Reduce Your Dementia Risk?
A study has shown a link to a reduced risk of cognitive impairment and dementia in older adults who consume a diet rich in plant-based products. Australian and Spanish researchers at the Biomarkers and Nutritional Food Metabolomics Research Group of the Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences of the University of Barcelona (UB) and the CIBER on Frailty and Healthy Aging conducted the long-term study. It occurred over 12 years and included 842 participants over 65 in France.
Findings of the study were published in the peer-reviewed journal, Molecular Nutrition and Food Research. Researchers evaluated the relationship between the metabolism of dietary components, intestinal microbiota, endogenous metabolism and cognitive impairment.
According to the results, there was a protective link between metabolites derived from cocoa, coffee, mushrooms and red wine — polyphenol-rich foods — and cognitive impairment in the older adults. Other polyphenol-rich foods include apple, green tea and blueberries.
Excerpted from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
