Eating spinach like Popeye will not only make you stronger – it can protect you from dementia, a study shows.
People with high levels of three key antioxidants in their blood are less likely to develop memory loss, researchers have found.
Two of the compounds – lutein and zeaxanthin – are abundant in leafy green vegetables as well as peas.
Oranges and papaya are the main sources of the other, beta-cryptoxanthin.
Lead researcher Dr May Baidun, an aging expert at the US National Institutes of Health, said: “Expanding people’s cognitive functions is an important public health challenge.
“Antioxidants can help protect the brain from oxidative stress, which can cause cell damage.”
But she added that more research is needed to see if antioxidants really “can help protect the brain from dementia.”
Researchers from the US National Institutes of Health have found that any increase in lutein, zeaxanthin and beta-cryptoxanthin levels reduces the risk of dementia. Lutein and zeaxanthin are found in green leafy vegetables such as cabbage, spinach, broccoli and peas.
Eating spinach like Popeye (pictured) will not only make you stronger – it can protect you from dementia. That is, if new research is to be believed. Researchers have found that people with high levels of three antioxidants in their blood are less likely to develop memory loss.
The study itself, published in the journal Neurology, does not actually look at the diets of volunteers.
However, scientists have long argued that a healthy diet can prevent dementia by boosting heart and circulatory health – both known to play a role in the disease.
In addition to diet, people can increase their blood levels of the three compounds by taking supplements.
Dr. Beidun and his colleagues analyzed blood samples from more than 7,000 Americans.
All participants were at least 45 years old and also underwent a physical examination and interview at the beginning of the study.
They were then monitored for an average of 16 years so that experts could monitor the extent of dementia.
Participants were divided into three groups based on their levels of the antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin and beta-cryptoxanthin in their blood.
WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN DIET AND DEMENTIA?
Dozens of studies have shown that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables can help reduce the risk of dementia.
Experts believe that the adoption of a particular diet may affect the biological mechanisms that subsequently cause dementia.
What a person eats can also be indirectly linked to dementia by increasing the risk of diabetes, obesity and heart disease, which are known to be associated with dementia.
Previous studies have found that the Mediterranean diet, which is high in vegetables, fruits, legumes and fish, lowers blood pressure, which is a risk factor for dementia.
An increase of 15.4 micromoles per liter in lutein and zeaxanthin levels is associated with a seven percent reduction in the risk of dementia, the researchers estimated.
Meanwhile, increasing beta-cryptoxanthin every 8.6 micromoles per liter reduces the chance of developing dementia by 14 percent.
The effect of antioxidants on dementia is reduced when other factors are taken into account, including education, income and physical activity.
“These factors may help explain the link between antioxidant levels and dementia,” added Dr. Beidun.
The team also acknowledged that the findings were limited because they were based on a single measurement of blood taken at the beginning of the study, which meant that “they may not reflect people’s lifelong levels”.
Dozens of studies show that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables can help reduce the risk of dementia, which affects 944,000 Britons and 6.5 million Americans.
Experts believe that the adoption of a particular diet may affect the biological mechanisms that subsequently cause dementia.
What a person eats can also be indirectly linked to dementia by increasing the risk of diabetes, obesity and heart disease, which are known to be associated with dementia.
Previous studies have found that the Mediterranean diet, which is high in vegetables, fruits, legumes and fish, lowers blood pressure, which is a risk factor for dementia.
Dr James Connol of Alzheimer’s Research UK said previous findings on the link between antioxidants and the risk of dementia were “mixed”.
When factors such as lifestyle, socio-economic status and physical activity are taken into account, the reduced risk seen in the new study is “lower”, he said.
“It’s important that researchers continue to study the protective effects of antioxidants in the context of other risk factors and work to understand how they interact,” said Dr. Connol.
He said: “Diseases that cause dementia have been developing for many years, but this study looks at antioxidant levels only at one point.
“While this study highlights a potentially interesting finding, it is important that the study takes a long-term view of the factors that may affect risk.”
Dr Connell added: “The only way to know if certain foods or supplements that contain them can help reduce the risk of dementia is through careful clinical trials in the future.
“We know that the risk of dementia is complex and includes factors, including age and genetics, as well as lifestyle factors such as our diet.
“Making positive lifestyle changes can reduce the risk of developing diseases that cause dementia.”
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