I EAT FRUIT EVERY DAY. I am especially interested in one health-promoting group chock full of health benefits: berries. Today, we unlock the secrets to brain health through smart food choices.
I will also talk about four other brain health-promoting foods that I am trying to incorporate into my diet:
- Nuts and seeds
- Lean proteins
- Leafy greens
- Whole grains
Brain Food #1: Fruits
I just finished eating grapes, watermelon, and blueberries.
This brain food group is the easiest one for me to enjoy. I make sure that I eat fruits every day.
Blueberries are the newest addition to my daily consumption. Eating just a handful may strengthen my cardiovascular and cognitive health.
Blueberries and Brain Health: Evidence
Let’s get to the proof that blueberries improve my heart and brain well-being.
A randomized, placebo-controlled study from King’s College London (England) demonstrates this:
Blueberry consumptiony improves executive function, short-term memory, and reaction times. It also leads to a drop in systolic blood pressure.
The study involved 61 healthy volunteers aged 65 to 80 years from London.
Each consumed a daily drink with 26 grams of freeze-dried wild blueberry powder for 12 weeks.
Blueberries’ Superpower: Anthocyanins
The study discovered that the anthocyanins in blueberries are the key to improving blood flow (including in the brain).
Anthocyanins are polyphenols, a group of plant-based compounds showing increasing promise for health promotion.
One theory is that “polyphenol metabolites may act as signaling molecules, acting through several cell-signaling pathways, modulating nitric oxide bioavailability and different enzymes.”
Those consuming blueberries can look forward to these possible improvements:
- Recalling word lists
- Improved task-switching accuracy
Alas, researchers found no improvement in delayed recall.
Foods With Anthocyanins
If you are not a blueberry fan, here are some alternative fruits and vegetables that are rich in anthocyanins:
- Red and purple berries
- Apples
- Grapes
- Cabbage
- Plums
Look for foods with high levels of natural colorants.
Brain Food #2: Nuts (and Seeds)
High up on my favorite “brain food” are nuts and seeds.
I love this category because having them always available around me is so easy.
Moreover, as a child who spent summers in the American South (more specifically, Forsyth, Georgia), I frequently enjoyed chomping on pecans.
Pecans remain one of my favorite foods.
Why Are Nuts and Seeds Good Brain Food?
Lifestyle factors (including diet) may promote brain health and decrease my cognitive decline risk.
Those who adhere more closely to a Mediterranean (or the Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension (DASH)) pattern have less cognitive decline.
We who more strongly adhere to these diets are also less likely to develop Alzheimer’s dementia.
What’s common to the Mediterranean and DASH diets? Nuts.
Nuts provide many nutrients, including the following:
- Fatty acids
- Proteins
- Polyphenols
Nuts and Brain Health: Evidence
A study in Clinical Nutrition provides limited evidence that nuts promote good brain health.
First, a warning: The International Nuts and Dried Fruit Council (INC) funded the research investigation.
Researchers recruited 28 healthy individuals with an average age of 65. The subjects had an average body mass index of 27.9, meaning they were overweight.
The study randomized the volunteers into two groups, each on a diet plan for 16 weeks:
- Nuts. Participants consumed 60 grams of walnuts, cashews, pistachios, and hazelnuts daily.
- Control. Subjects consumed no nuts.
The groups switched nut consumption protocols after an eight-week washout period.
Nut Study Details
Scientists assessed these indicators at the end of each period:
- Brain blood vessel function
- Endothelial function — key for blood clotting and the passage of fluids and electrolytes from the blood into tissues
- Artery stiffness
- Eye retinal microvasculature
- Cognitive performance
Nut Study Results
Here are the research findings:
Daily nut consumption increases blood flow in various brain areas. Nuts also improve the body’s endothelial function, reduce artery stiffness, and improve small vessels (microvasculature) in the eye’s retina.
After consuming nuts, subjects remembered 16 percent more words in a verbal memory test.
Finally, nut consumption did not improve stress, quality of life, or executive functioning.
Here’s my problem: Cognition and memory are functions that we should have more than 16 weeks to assess an intervention.
Furthermore, body mass index is a suboptimal index that captures the ratio of height to weight. BMI omits lots of information when it comes to assessing someone’s body composition.”
Brain Food #3: Lean Proteins
I do not avoid red meat but have progressively decreased my consumption over time.
What have I swapped in? Today, you might find me eating tuna, salmon, or tofu.
Part of my approach is that I know that there is a view that eating foods high in saturated fats may lead to all of the following:
- Diabetes
- Obesity
- Heart disease
- High blood pressure
- High cholesterol
Good heart health contributes to great brain health.
Still, I could be very wrong, at least when it comes to saturated fats and cardiovascular health:
Dietary Saturated Fats and Health: Are the U.S. Guidelines Evidence-Based?
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Brain Food #4: Leafy Greens
It has taken me a while, but I have come to the view that leafy green vegetables support my health, including brain health.
When I think of brain-boosting nutrients, I think of the following:
- Lutein
- Folate
- Beta-carotene
Leafy Greens and Fiber
But wait, there’s more. Fiber. Yup, fiber.
Here’s an example of how my leafy vegetables may improve my brain health. A 2021 study demonstrated this:
Increasing intake of dietary fiber was associated with a lower chance of developing depression.
And then there are B vitamins.
Leafy Greens and B-vitamins
Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid) is an essential element of coenzyme A.
The latter helps my body’s enzymes build and break down fatty acids for energy.
So here’s the thing: Coenzyme A also helps our cells make acyl carrier proteins and helps me create necessary fats.
As our brain is mostly fat (who knew?), pantothenic acid is an essential vitamin for brain health.
It also helps our cells generate acyl carrier proteins, helping to produce necessary fats. The brain is primarily fat, so pantothenic acid is among the most important vitamins in supporting brain health.
A Note on Vitamin B7 (biotin)
Vitamin B7 (biotin) regulates cell signals, allowing for efficient communication. In the brain, biotin is essential for cell signaling via neurotransmitters.
Vitamin B7, known as biotin, regulates cell signals for quick and efficient communication throughout the body. In the brain, it’s crucial for cellular signaling via neurotransmitters.
Maybe that’s why they call it biotin. Did you know that the word is from the ancient Greek “biotos,” meaning “life” or “sustenance.”
Leafy greens also are filled with essential nutrients, including vitamins A, C, and K, folate, iron, calcium, and potassium.
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Brain Food #5: Fiber
Finally, I’ll end with fiber.
You know that getting adequate fiber is good for your gut. But did you know a high-fiber diet may also benefit your brain?
Two studies suggest that the more fiber one consumes, the lower the future risk of dementia.
Fiber and Brain Health: Evidence
A Japanese study examined individuals aged 40 to 64. Each completed detailed surveys about what they ate, including fiber.
Researchers tracked the 3,739 subjects for 20 years. Over that time, 670 developed Alzheimer’s disease or some other dementia form.
The more fiber someone tends to eat, the lower their risk of disabling dementia.
On average, those consuming the most fiber — 18 to 65 grams daily — had a one-quarter (26 percent) lower risk of dementia than those eating the least (two to 10 grams).
Finally, soluble fiber (such as in beans, nuts, bran, and some fruits and vegetables) offered more protection than insoluble fiber in whole grains. Nevertheless, all fiber forms seemed to be protective.
More Evidence of Fiber’s Brain Benefits
A separate study examined 848 individuals aged 65 and older in two areas of Tuscany, Italy.
Researchers tested all subjects to see if they had the APOE-E4 gene, a risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease. (Note that other forms of the APOE gene lower risk.)
The study authors tracked typical eating habits, including the fiber consumed. Participants also had regular memory and thinking skill tests.
Fiber Study Results – Brain Health and Food
The results align with the findings of the Japanese study:
For those carrying the APOE-E4 variant, the more fiber consumed, the better cognitive skills the subjects tended to have in old age.
A high-fiber diet did not reduce the risk for those carrying other APOE gene forms.
Are You Getting Enough Fiber?
Do you get enough fiber in your diet? The American Heart Association (AHA) and other medical groups recommend consuming at least 25 to 30 grams of dietary fiber daily, but most Americans consume about half that amount.
The AHA recommends choosing whole grains and products that contain at least 51% whole versus refined grains.
Here are some examples of a serving of whole grains:
- One slice of whole-grain bread (such as 100% whole-wheat bread)
- One cup ready-to-eat, whole-grain cereal
- 1⁄2 cup cooked whole-grain cereal (like oatmeal), brown rice or whole-wheat pasta
- Five whole-grain crackers
- Three cups of unsalted, air-popped popcorn
- One 6-inch whole-wheat tortilla
A 2017 analysis concluded that 95 percent of Americans don’t consume the fiber recommended for good health!
Fiber is good medicine.
Final Thoughts — Brain Health and Food
I don’t mean to offer diet as a magic elixir to prevent cognitive decline.
No single food emerged as a rock star, although I constantly encountered blueberries while searching for evidence of a food-cognition connection.
The most important strategy I think I can follow is to consume a healthy dietary pattern that is full of the following:
- Fruits
- Nuts and seeds
- Lean proteins
- Leafy greens
- Whole grains
Finally, I am trying to get more protein from plant sources and fish.
I also incorporate healthy fats (especially extra virgin olive oil) rather than saturated fats.
Thank you for reading “Brain Health and Food.”
