Cognitive decline and dementia are already having an impact Over 55 million people World wide. This number is expected to rapidly increase in the coming decades. Aging of the world’s population.
There are certain risk factors for cognitive decline and dementia that cannot be changed. genetic predisposition to these conditions. However, research has shown that certain modifiable lifestyle habits, such as smoking, obesity, and physical inactivity, are all associated, and there may be other risk factors that we have more control over. there is. High risk of dementia.
The role of nutrition in preventing cognitive decline and dementia has also been the focus of scientific research for quite some time.
For example, numerous studies have investigated the benefits of the Mediterranean diet. This diet appears to have a positive impact on key indicators of a healthy brain. total brain volume, cortical thicknessand white matter integrity.
Our recent research suggests that: traditional Japanese diet It may also be beneficial for brain health and is better than the typical Western diet.
traditional Japanese diet
Japan is famous for longevity of people. For example, Okinawa Prefecture in southern Japan has an unusually large number of centenarians.For this reason, Okinawa blue zone, an area where people live unusually long lives. The longevity of people living in this region is often attributed to their traditional diet.
of typical Japanese diet Ingredients such as rice, seafood, and fruits (especially citrus fruit). But what makes this diet unique are traditional Japanese foods such as miso, seaweed, pickles, green tea, soybeans, bean sprouts, and mushrooms. Shiitake mushroom). Notably, this diet also features low intake of red meat and coffee.
It is worth noting that the traditional Japanese diet is a cultural custom rather than a diet designed to achieve a specific goal (such as weight loss). It is a dish that many Japanese people enjoy on a daily basis.
brain health
To conduct the study, we examined a sample of 1,636 Japanese adults between the ages of 40 and 89.
First, we identified participants’ typical diets by asking them to record everything they ate and drank for three days. They were also given disposable cameras to take pictures of their plates before and after each meal to visually record how much they ate.
Written food records and photographs were combined to calculate each person’s average daily food intake. This provided a good baseline of the participants’ usual eating habits.
Based on food records, 589 participants were found to follow a traditional Japanese diet. An additional 697 participants ate a typical Western diet, which is characterized by high intakes of refined carbohydrates, high-fat foods, soft drinks, and alcohol. Finally, a small number of participants (350 people) consumed a diet that included higher than average amounts of plant foods (grains, vegetables, and fruits) and dairy products. We have named this way of eating the “Vegetables, Fruits, and Dairy Diet.”
We also collected information about other lifestyle and health factors, such as whether participants had a genetic predisposition to dementia. APOE genotype), whether they smoke, their level of physical activity, and whether they have any pre-existing health conditions (such as stroke or diabetes). This was done to adjust the analysis to account for these factors and to ensure that the findings were solely due to diet.
They then analyzed the progression of brain atrophy, or shrinkage (loss of neurons), over a two-year period. Importantly, age-related brain atrophy common marker Deterioration of cognitive function and dementia. Brain atrophy was measured by MRI scan.
We found that women who followed a traditional Japanese diet had less brain atrophy over the two-year study period compared to women who followed a Western diet. It is less clear what effect the vegetable, fruit, and dairy diet had, perhaps because the number of participants who followed this diet was small.
Interestingly, this effect only appeared in women. There was no difference in the amount of brain shrinkage in men who ate a traditional Japanese diet compared to men who ate other diets.
There are several possible reasons for this pattern of results. Some appear to be specific to biological differences between the sexes. For example, certain nutrients such as magnesium and phytoestrogens found in fish, shellfish, mushrooms, whole grains, and legumes appear to be more protective of your health. female brain.
This effect may also be explained by lifestyle differences between men and women. Negative factors such as smoking can interfere with health benefits. healthy diet – Turns out to be much more common among men. Male participants were also more likely to deviate from the traditional Japanese diet and tended to consume more noodles (source). refined carbohydrates) and alcoholic drinks (alcohol) than women. Both of these factors may contribute to brain shrinkage.
The benefits of the Japanese diet can also be attributed to the abundance of nutrients in many foods. vitamin, Polyphenol, phytochemical and unsaturated fatty acids. All of these ingredients are known for their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. This basically means that it helps keep the brain and its neurons working at peak performance.
It will be important for further research to be carried out not only to confirm our findings, but also to explore some of the reasons for the differences seen between men and women with respect to dietary preferences and brain health. Probably.
Incorporating elements of the traditional Japanese diet and incorporating foods such as fish, seafood, soybeans, miso, seaweed, and shiitake mushrooms not only improves cognitive function; General health Too.
Giovanni Salalecturer in psychology, university of liverpool and Shu ChangNutritional Epidemiology Researcher, National Center for Geriatrics and Geriatrics
This article is republished from conversation Under Creative Commons License.read Original work.
