What we put in our mouths has a great impact on our body. Diet can totally change the function of the systems within us, for better or worse. That is why it is very important to control what we eat and how much we eat. But what if the foods you thought were bad for you could actually be good for you? There are some components in food, how often you eat it, that can surprisingly change the way it affects your body. A study has shown that there are particular foods that we can consume that can help our brain work better.
This study was completed and led by Auriel Willette, who is an assistant professor of Food Science and Human Nutrition, and Brandon Klinedinst, Ph.D. in Neurosciences. Candidate in Food Sciences and Human Nutrition. The study focused on data collected from 1,787 UK adults. It was collected through the UK Biobank, a biomedical database containing health and genetic information on half a million participants. Through a Fluid Intelligence Test, the participants answered questions that analyzed their ability to “think about the fly”. These tests were administered from 2012 to 2013, and then repeated again in 2015 and 2016. The general database from which these participants were drawn helped create a research baseline for progress in some of the diseases that most they threaten life.
Within this test, they also answered questions about their consumption of food and alcohol such as fresh fruit, raw vegetables, oily fish, beef, cheese, bread, beer, coffee, white wine, champagne, liquor, and many more.
Through these finds, they found something very intriguing about alcohol, lamb, salt, and cheese. These four things have been shown to have a significant impact on cognitive function.
Cheese has been shown to be beneficial in preventing age-related cognitive problems, and may even help as we age. It was the most protective food of all the finds. If consumed daily, alcohol can also be useful in this regard. Especially with wine and red wine, it is possible to improve cognitive function.
“I was pleasantly surprised that our results suggest that eating cheese and drinking red wine responsibly on a daily basis is not only good for helping us cope with our current COVID-19 pandemic, but perhaps also for dealing with a world that is more complex than ever before. seems to slow down. Willette told sources. “While we did consider whether this was just due to what the well-to-do eat and drink, randomized clinical trials are needed to determine whether making easy changes to our diet could significantly help our brains.”
Lamb is also a beneficial food to consume on a weekly basis. This is the exception to red meat, as it can actually help with cognitive function, while other red meats can be potentially harmful. Lastly, salt is surprisingly a great food to use frequently for cognition. The other demographic to watch out for with salt is people who are already at risk for Alzheimer’s disease. They should take prolonged salt intake into account so that these risks of cognitive decline are not increased.
“Depending on what genetic factors you have, some people appear to be more protected from the effects of Alzheimer’s disease, while others appear to be at higher risk,” Klinedinst said. “That being said, I do believe that the right food choices can prevent disease and cognitive decline altogether. Perhaps the silver bullet we are looking for is to improve the way we eat. Knowing what that entails contributes to a better understanding of Alzheimer’s disease and to putting this disease on a reverse trajectory.”
