JERUSALEM, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) — An international research team has found new evidence that diet can directly affect brain aging, Israel’s Ben-Gurion University of the Negev said Monday in a statement.
In one of the longest brain diet studies, published in the journal Clinical Nutrition, researchers followed nearly 300 people for 18 months, using brain scans and blood tests, according to the statement.
Participants were divided into three diet groups, including one that followed a green-Mediterranean diet rich in tea, walnuts, and a special plant called Mankai.
According to the statement, a brain can age faster than the body, especially in people with diabetes, high blood pressure, or inflammation. This is linked to memory problems and diseases like Alzheimer’s.
The study found that those on the green-Mediterranean diet experienced slower brain aging, with less brain shrinkage and lower levels of inflammation-related proteins linked to memory loss.
The researchers said these findings could lead to simple blood tests for brain health monitoring and demonstrate how healthy eating can help protect the aging brain. ■