Eat well, think well: It turns out that the Romans were definitely on the right track with their famous saying "mens sana in corpore sano" (a healthy mind in a healthy body). Athletes have followed this dictum for centuries, and today scientists are finding that if you keep your body supplied with a wide assortment of healthy foods and nutrients, it may indeed enhance your ability to maintain that "healthy mind" as you age.
To protect yourself against a variety of age-related conditions that can impair your memory and the general functioning of your brain, a good first step is to concentrate on a healthful diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and oily cold-water fish. This is because these foods contain hefty amounts of the key nutritional players in any brain-boosting agenda: antioxidants, omega-3 fatty acids, and other important natural compounds.
Food for the Brain: Antioxidants
As your brain ages, important nerve cells are less able to protect themselves against highly reactive rogue compounds called free radicals. Every cell in your body manufactures thousands of these unstable oxygen molecules every day, and you are also exposed to them in the world around you — through tobacco smoke, pollution, and even ultraviolet radiation. Left unchecked, free radicals damage cells (a process called oxidative stress) and also contribute to age-related degenerative diseases, including mental decline.
Fortunately, the body has a natural defense system to protect itself against oxidative stress: antioxidants. These substances, which help shield the body from the actions of free radicals, include well-known nutrients like vitamin C, vitamin E, beta-carotene, and selenium, and they are widely available in fruits, vegetables, nuts, and whole grains.
Scientific evidence for the important role that antioxidants play in maintaining brain health is considerable. In research done by the Agricultural Research Service, the chief scientific research agency of the US Department of Agriculture, antioxidants were shown not only to counter brain decline but actually to "turn back the clock" to some extent. In certain animal studies, rats fed high-antioxidant diets had less age-related cognitive shortfalls and, in one case, actually showed a reversal of functional loss.
What you should eat: As a rule of thumb, to maximize the antioxidants in your diet, you should eat as many different types of fruits and vegetables as possible, especially the lushly colored ones that are rich in compounds called carotenoids and flavonoids. The relative strengths of different antioxidants are measured by what's known as their ORAC (oxygen radical absorbance capacity) score. Here are some of the most potent antioxidant foods you might consider adding to your daily fare:
- Fruits with high antioxidant scores include blueberries, at more than 6,552 total ORAC units, blackberries (5,247), red delicious apples with skin (4,275), and sweet cherries (3,365). Other high scorers include black plums, raspberries, cranberries, strawberries, avocados, navel oranges, and red grapes.
- Vegetables with high ORAC values include raw ginger root (14,840), raw garlic (5,346), cooked red cabbage (3,145), and cooked broccoli (2,386). Also good are dark leafy greens (spinach, kale), red bell peppers, carrots, sweet potatoes, onions, and tomatoes.
- Nuts, including pecans (17,940), walnuts (13,541), and hazelnuts (9,645), are among the highest listed on the USDA Nutrient Data Laboratory's 2007 ORAC chart.
- Whole grains, such as whole wheat, oatmeal, and brown rice, are another excellent source of antioxidants because they contain important compounds that possess antioxidant activity.
You can check ORAC scores for particular foods by going to Nutrient Data Laboratory.
Food for the Brain: Omega-3 Essential Fatty Acids
For your memory to function smoothly, brain cells need to be able to communicate quickly and easily with one another. As people age, though, nerve cells shrink, nutrient-rich blood supplies to the brain decline, and inflammation often complicates the situation. The brain then produces smaller quantities of key messenger chemicals called neurotransmitters. At some point, communication between cells becomes less smooth and your memory skills less sharp.
Omega-3 essential fatty acids, especially DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), have been found to promote the efficient electrical signaling between nerve cells, help stabilize cell membranes, and even appear to improve mental concentration and fight memory loss. Research indicates that omega-3s play a real role in dampening inflammation and also affect the damaging amyloid plaques that clog the brains of Alzheimer's disease patients.
In a recent report, the International Food Information Council noted that "emerging evidence suggests that a higher level of omega-3 fatty acid consumption may be associated with reducing the risk of bone loss, certain cancers, and neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's disease [DHA is the most abundant fatty acid in the gray matter of the brain]."
What you should eat: Because the body cannot manufacture omega-3 fatty acids, it needs to absorb them from food sources, and some of the best sources are oily cold-water fish; once or twice a week you should try to work salmon, sardines, bluefish, herring, mackerel, or tuna into your menu.
Food for the Brain: Other Key Players
Beyond the basic fruits, vegetables, and cold-water fish, scientists believe other food-based compounds can also help protect your memory and cognitive abilities. These include:
B vitamins: Folic acid and niacin in particular have been found to be important in preserving brain function because they help control inflammation and appear to promote the development of new brain cells.
What you should eat: Food sources rich in vitamin B include lean meats, fish, legumes, dairy products, grains, and green leafy vegetables.
Co-enzyme Q-10 According to Shari Lieberman, PhD, CNS, FACN, coauthor of A User's Guide to Brain Boosting Nutrients, "Not all antioxidants protect the brain because not all of them pass the blood-brain barrier." One exception to this is coenzyme Q10, also known as CoQ10. This well-known natural antioxidant is directly absorbed by the brain and is involved with energy production in both the heart and brain. It also appears to help protect the nerves and may slow aging processes as well.
What you should eat:Good choices for foods rich in CoQ10 include beef, chicken, nuts, and oils.
Alpha-lipoc acid: Another powerful antioxidant that is readily absorbed by the brain, says Dr. Lieberman, is alpha-lipoic acid (ALA), which helps to neutralize free radicals and counter nerve damage.
What you should eat: Spinach, broccoli, beef, yeast (particularly brewer's yeast), and certain organ meats are good sources of ALA.
Food for the Brain: Bottom Line
While no one has found a way to return aging brains to their youthful ability just yet, it is possible to strengthen your brain's ability to protect important neurons from degeneration or death. This is best accomplished when you make smart lifestyle choices. It's a good idea to avoid excess alcohol and nicotine use, and you can best help your brain stay sharp by following a healthful diet that's low in fat and cholesterol and loaded with fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and oily, cold-water fish rich in essential omega-3 fatty acids.
Learn more in the Everyday Health Longevity Center.