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How diet boosts brain power: the science

January 18, 2020 4 Comments

Annabel and I read hundreds of research articles each month to keep up to date with the latest findings on healthy longevity. We’ve learned to decode the different methodologies to understand which are the most meaningful, and relevant, to The Age-Well Project. There’s such a broad span of research methods, from investigating the insides of petri dishes to investigating the insides of real people. Many of the best studies on lifestyle review the habits of large groups of people over a long time. As The Age-Well Project is all about the correlation of healthy lifestyle and longevity, it makes sense that these studies are the ones we focus on.

There’s an obvious flaw with many of these large-scale epidemiological studies, however. They rely on the memory (and honesty!) of the participants. Can you remember what you ate last week? I can’t. And if I was being questioned by a health researcher, I might forget those left-over-from-Christmas chocolates I polished off or the ‘may-as-well-finish-the-bottle’ glass of wine I imbibed.

As many of you know, my mother and grandmother spent years living with severe dementia so I’m always really grateful for quality research with genuinely useful findings. This week I came across a fascinating study on the power of diet to boost brain power in older people which – ironically – didn’t rely on memory.  What grabbed my attention was that the research fused two disciplines, applying methods from nutritional epidemiology and cognitive neuroscience together. Instead of relying on participants’ recall of what they’d eaten, the study focussed on ‘biomarkers’ in the blood by testing levels of specific nutrients. And instead of just using cognitive tests to assess brain health, the research team also deployed MRI scans to evaluate the efficiency of brain function. 116 people aged 65-75 were tested and you can read the paper here.

The results revealed that several specific nutrients were associated with better cognitive performance: polyunsaturated fatty acids (omega-3 and omega-6), lycopene, carotenoids plus vitamins B12 and D. These nutrients appeared to work together in different ‘equations’ to boost brain health.

  • Omega-3 + Omega-6 + carotenes = more efficient communication between the neural networks in the brain.
  • Omega-3 + Omega-6 = better performance of the fronto-parietal network (related to our attention span) and improvement in general intelligence
  • Omega-3 + Omega-6 + lycopene =  moderation of the dorsal attention network (which helps us focus) and executive function.

Thankfully, these nutrients are abundant in some of our favourite Age-Well foods. Omega-3 fatty acids are found in oily fish, walnuts and chia seeds, omega-6 fatty acids in flaxseed, pumpkin seeds, pine nuts and pistachios (although few of us are deficient in Omega-6 as it is found in most seed oils used in commercial food production). Lycopene gives tomatoes, watermelon and red peppers their vivid red colour; carotenoids deliver the orange hue of sweet potatoes and carrots. Vitamin B12 is found in meat and dairy (vegans need to supplement). As we’ve said many times before, we get most of our Vitamin D from sunlight so if, like us, you’re in the middle of a northern winter you need a supplement for this too.

This baked salmon recipe isn’t the prettiest dish we’ve ever served up to you, but it delivers many of the nutrients in the research above: carotene from the sweet potato, lycopene from the red peppers and omega-3s (and a little vitamin D) from the salmon. It all cooks in one pan too, always a bonus.

BAKED SALMON WITH LIME AND MISO GLAZE serves 4

  • 4 salmon fillets (preferably organic or wild)
  • 300g cauliflower or broccoli florets
  • 4 red peppers
  • 3 large, long sweet potatoes
  • 2 tbs olive oil for the pan
  • Chopped flat leaf parsley or coriander, to serve

FOR THE GLAZE

  • 1 lime, zested and juiced
  • 1 tbs sweet white miso
  • 1 tbs low-sodium soy sauce
  • 2 tbs mirin
  • 2 tsp ginger pulp

Pre-heat the oven to 180C.

Mix glaze ingredients together in a small bowl and leave to one side. Cut the sweet potato in half lengthways, then into wedges (no need to peel, unless you want to). Put the sweet potatoes into a large roasting pan, drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and season well. Roast for 20 minutes.

De-seed the red peppers and cut into long strips. Add to the pan with the cauliflower or broccoli florets, drizzle with oil and season. Roast for another 10 minutes.

Slather the salmon fillets with the glaze, reserving any remaining glaze. Take the roasting pan out of the oven, toss vegetables around then push them down to one end of the pan. Put the salmon into the pan and drizzle any remaining glaze over the vegetables. Cook for another 10-15 minutes until the salmon is opaque all the way through and the vegetables are soft and starting to brown in places. Sprinkle with herbs before serving.

A few other brain-boosting recipes to try

There are lots of other recipes on the blog which deliver these brain-boosting nutrients too:

Turmeric and salmon pilaff – very popular with our readers, I know

Sweet paprika salmon – currently on repeat in my household

Walnut dip (tarator) – am making this tonight

Chia seed pancakes – the perfect weekend breakfast

Tomato and coconut cassoulet – a favourite winter warmer

Spanish butter bean stew – so simple and delicious

Sweet n sour red cabbage and carrot slaw – also on repeat at home – it keeps well in the fridge for a few days

Susan

  • Meal Types: Dinner, Family
  • Conditions: Ageing, Alzheimer's, Brain and Dementia
  • Ingredients: Peppers, Salmon, Sweet potato
« BRAIN-BUILDING, PREVENTING OSTEOPOROSIS, WHAT CARDIOLOGISTS DO FOR HEART HEALTH… AND THE NEW CANADIAN EATING GUIDELINES
WANT TO AGE WELL? HUM AND SING! »

Comments

  1. HILARY DEFRIEZ says

    January 18, 2020 at 6:48 pm

    Are you allowed to mention specific brands? If so, Engevita Flakes (inactive yeast) are an excellent source of B12, and truly tasty. They add a savoury, cheesy flavour as an alternative topping for pizza or cauliflower cheese for example. I stir a spoonful into soups just before serving. I also spread pesto on toast and top with the flakes and smoked paprika and then finish off in the hot oven of an aga (or under a grill, if you have one).

    Reply
    • Susan Saunders says

      January 19, 2020 at 3:35 pm

      Hi Hilary, I love nutritional yeast and use it in pesto and cheese dishes as you do. Great source of vitamin B12 as you say.

      Reply
  2. frances says

    January 19, 2020 at 12:56 pm

    Many thanks for doing the hard work for me! As you say there is so much information coming at us from all directions and it can be very confusing to know what is best…alongside trying to get on with living your life 🙂
    I appreciate you reading and simplyfying research and as my mother has dementia always aware that I need to be paying attention to any new information . Thanks.

    Reply
    • Susan Saunders says

      January 19, 2020 at 3:37 pm

      Thank you so much for your kind words, Frances. My Age-Well Project grew out of my experiences of caring for my mum who had dementia for 12 years, so I know how brutal that can be. Good luck on the journey.

      Reply

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Welcome to The Age-Well Project

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Everything we’ve learnt about ageing well points Everything we’ve learnt about ageing well points to a time (for women at least) in their mid-60s when the chronic conditions of ageing, like diabetes, heart disease and dementia, are - statistically - more likely to kick in. 

And we know that our reproductive hormones do so much more than prepare us to have periods and babies, we have receptors for them throughout our bodies and brains. 

Oestrogen, in particular, helps keep bones strong, blood vessels flexible, brains firing and inflammation levels low. Essentially, it wraps us up in a cosy protective cloak to keep us safe and healthy while we're able to reproduce, but once the eggs have run out - we're on our own! 

Between the average age of menopause at 51, and that time in our 60s when the chronic conditions of ageing are more likely to kick in, we have a decade or so in which it’s vital to focus on our health.

And how to do that? It’s on the blog - link in bio

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If you’re lucky enough to have good metabolic he If you’re lucky enough to have good metabolic health you might want to thank your Mum today. Recent studies have found that women who move around during their reproductive years and during pregnancy and then breastfeed for a bit pass on a compound in their milk called 3SL which provides lifelong protection against poor metabolic health. The offspring of moving, breastfeeding Mums appear to have a lower lifetime risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and other chronic metabolic disease. Even gentle strolling during pregnancy and while nursing can produce this compound. So today we thank our Mums for that - as well as everything else.  Susan’s mum in the hat. Annabel’s mum in the pony tail. 

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The campaign this year reminds us to embrace equity as a way to recognise that each of us has different circumstances, and we need different resources and opportunities to reach an equal outcome. Of course, this is as vital in ageing and health outcomes as in every other field.  

So we’re embracing our age and hoping to grow older in a more equitable society ❤️

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If you’re not sure how to start or are worried about looking silly (we were) - there are lots of tips on the blog, link in bio. 

If you’re a backwards walker, let us know in comments below! 

If you’re planning to start, save this post for when you’re ready for some reverse walking 

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