Top psychologist and nutritionist Kimberly Wilson explains how diet can help reduce cognitive decline
Recent research shows that 4 out of 10 cases of dementia can be prevented with simple lifestyle changes.
Currently, 1 million Brits and nearly 7 million Americans suffer from a serious neurological condition, and it is predicted that many more will be diagnosed in the future, with preventive solutions. measures are needed.
Experts say diet is an area to focus on. Numerous studies have repeatedly shown that the foods we eat can influence brain health and mood, and reduce the risk of cognitive decline.
More recently, experts have discovered that the earlier in life you start eating well, the more likely you are to remain mentally sharp into your 70s and beyond.
So what should be on the menu? To find out, we spoke to Kimberly Wilson, a leading psychologist and nutritionist who has dedicated her career to studying how food affects the mind. .
Fatty fish and vegetables slow cognitive decline
People who eat a lot of leafy vegetables like spinach and kale, as well as oily fish, have been shown to have lower rates of cognitive decline.
reason? Both foods are sources of omega-3 fats.
Omega-3s are thought to reduce inflammation in the brain, which can contribute to the development of dementia, according to the Alzheimer’s Association.
“Older people who eat leafy greens every day have brains that are 11 years younger than other people,” Wilson, who will be speaking at New Scientist Live 2024 at Excel London on October 12, told MailOnline.
She added: “The brain’s metabolic rate is very high, and when the tissue is active, it produces large amounts of free radicals and oxidants that can damage brain tissue.”
“However, these compounds found in leafy vegetables appear to help reduce oxidative stress,” she explained.
Omega-3s, the fats found in fatty fish, are thought to reduce inflammation in the brain, which can contribute to the development of dementia, according to the Alzheimer’s Association.
People who eat a lot of leafy greens, such as spinach and kale, have been shown to have lower rates of cognitive decline.
Berries that boost your brain
From strawberries to eggplant, we all need to “eat the rainbow” to feed our brains.
That’s because these colorful foods can help you get your daily intake of polyphenols, a group of natural compounds found in plants that have antioxidant properties.
These substances are found in high concentrations in foods such as berries and increase blood flow in the brain.
The NHS says boosting blood flow in the brain may help prevent vascular dementia, a type of condition associated with poor circulation that ultimately destroys brain cells.
Wilson explains that our brains have a whopping 400 miles of blood vessels.
This means you need a very strong blood supply and plenty of nutrients to make everything work.
“The brain needs a very good blood supply to provide all the glucose, nutrients and oxygen it needs to keep brain cells working well,” Wilson said.
“And what polyphenols do is that when they’re broken down in the body, they produce a gaseous compound called nitric oxide. This basically widens blood vessels, making them more flexible so they can take in more blood.” “I will,” she added.
Getting more blood into the brain and delivering more nutrients and oxygen to the brain will improve brain function in the short term, Wilson said.
But consistently adding these nutrient-dense foods to your daily diet will also keep your brain healthy in the long run, she added.
Eating vegetables may make you happy
Eating healthy doesn’t necessarily make you feel better right away, but years of eating well can help prevent depression.
Wilson found that if you looked at depression levels in a group of people and compared it to their diet over 15 years, people who ate healthier diets had a 30 percent reduced risk of depression. It is explained that it was done. compared to people who don’t have the healthiest diet.
“Therefore, maintaining a healthy diet appears to reduce the risk of developing mood disorders later in life in the long term,” she added.
Depression almost doubles the risk of developing dementia, according to a review that combined the results of 27 studies, the Alzheimer’s Association explains.
Therefore, eating mood-boosting foods may have long-term benefits as well.
But when it comes to eating junk and ultra-processed foods, it’s not clear whether their presence causes mood changes or whether it’s the lack of healthier foods, Wilson explains.
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia. This disease can cause anxiety, confusion, and short-term memory loss
Eating mood-boosting foods may also have long-term benefits for cognitive health
Dietary fiber is not just for the intestines
The fiber found in fruits and vegetables is great for gut health, but a healthy gut also means a healthy mind.
That’s because byproducts of fiber fermentation in your gut help protect your brain.
“When dietary fiber is broken down by gut bacteria, short-chain fatty acids are produced as byproducts, one of which is called butyrate, which helps protect the blood-brain barrier,” Wilson said. Ta.
These short-chain fatty acids have many functions, reducing inflammation in the intestines, and also protecting the cells in the lining of the intestines and the blood-brain barrier (a tightly locked cell layer that protects the brain from harmful substances). Nourishes.
This is important because a breakdown in the blood-brain barrier can cause inflammation in the brain, which is thought to cause cognitive decline in the long term.
“So, indirectly, fiber doesn’t improve mood; it supports mood by helping with the protective barrier,” Wilson said.
Excess sugar intake may increase risk
Eating too much sugar, fatty foods, and carbohydrates can lead to weight gain.
Although eating sugar does not directly increase your risk of developing dementia by causing inflammation, gaining weight as a result may increase your risk of developing dementia.
“At this point, it’s not very clear whether sugar itself promotes inflammation, especially when individuals are in a state of energy balance,” Wilson explained.
“Dietary patterns in which you expend more energy than you expend seem to be associated with increased inflammation. Eating lots of sugar makes it easier to take in more energy than you expend. ” she added.
Eating too much sugar can cause you to use more energy than necessary, which can lead to excess fat accumulating around your waist.
Ms Wilson warns that this is a risk factor for developing type 2 diabetes, which increases the chances of developing dementia.
But there’s also a direct link to inflammation, which is associated with cognitive decline, especially when it comes to sugary drinks.
“The exception appears to be sugar-sweetened beverages (soft drinks), whose consumption is associated with increased inflammatory markers in healthy young men and children,” she said.
But a diet high in refined sugars may also be deficient in fiber, which is known to have anti-inflammatory properties, she added.
Eating seaweed increases your IQ
Seaweed may not be most people’s go-to vegetable, but eating it can make you, and your future children, smarter.
That’s because a key nutrient found in seaweed is iodine, which is one of the nutrients best known for boosting IQ.
In fact, the World Health Organization claims that iodine is the leading cause of preventable brain damage worldwide.
Top psychologist Kimberly Wilson explains that the thyroid gland, which maintains your metabolism, uses iodine, which is essential during pregnancy.
“During pregnancy, the brain begins to develop and the mother needs enough iodine to get her own thyroid hormones. Then, the mother’s thyroid gland doesn’t start working on its own until the second trimester, so the mother does as well. It needs iodine.’It has enough iodine to make enough hormones for the baby,” Wilson said.
A key nutrient found in seaweed is iodine, which is one of the most well-known nutrients for increasing IQ.
However, in areas of the world with low iodine, the IQ of the population is up to 15 percent lower than in areas with high iodine, she added.
The richest source of iodine is seaweed, so this deficiency is usually found in inland areas, but the UK is also affected.
“You’re looking at areas like India and parts of Asia, Europe and the Alps and other elevated or central states, but in fact in the UK, 67 per cent of pregnant women are iodine deficient.”
“We’ve seen this association in the UK population, where we can track maternal iodine, and the amount of iodine in a mother’s urine can be tracked with the child’s IQ.”
However, you don’t necessarily have to buy seaweed from your local Japanese grocery store. Instead, some types of salt and milk may contain iodine.
In the United States, salt has been iodized since the 1920s as the nation faced problems with goiter, a swelling in the neck caused by an enlarged thyroid gland.
Goiter can be caused by not having enough iodine in the body, so iodized salt was very helpful in not only resolving goiter but also improving IQ, Ms. Wilson said. Let me explain.
“Just by iodizing salt, we saw a 10-year growth effect called the Flynn effect, which is growth in IQ over a period of one to two years,” she added.
In the UK, the next best source of intake after seaweed is milk, so people who eat a plant-based diet and don’t supplement properly may be deficient in seaweed.
But if you want to see the long-term benefits of iodine, Wilson warns you shouldn’t put it off because it could affect your health 10 years from now.
“If you go vegan at 22, no one really thinks about their iodine levels, and it’s clear that they don’t question whether their iodine levels will affect their baby’s brain 10 years from now.” she says.
