Veggies reported to help women’s brains

HERE’S another reason to eat your veggies:A new study suggests certain vegetables like broccoli and spinach may help older women keep their brains sharper.

Researchers found that women in their 60s who ate more cruciferous and green leafy vegetables than other women went on to show less overall decline over time on a bundle of tests measuring memory, verbal ability and attention. Such foods include broccoli, cauliflower, romaine lettuce and spinach.The federally funded study didn’t include men, but the effect would probably appear in them too, said Jae Hee Kang, an instructor at Harvard’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.Other studies released on Monday showed evidence that obesity, high cholesterol and high blood pressure can raise the risk of developing Alzheimer’s or other dementia later on, and that leisure activities with mental, physical and social aspects may reduce the risk of later dementia.Kang’s study and the other two “add to the growing understanding that we may be able to reduce our risk of Alzheimer’s by changing our lifestyles – losing weight, changing our diets and staying mentally and socially active”, said Marilyn Albert, who chairs the Alzheimer Association’s Medical and Scientific Advisory Council.Kang stressed that her findings need to be confirmed by further studies.She and colleagues looked at 13 388 nurses participating in a long-running health study.While most women in the study showed some decline, those who had habitually eaten the most of the green leafy vegetables showed less decline than those who ate the least, Kang said.”It was almost like they were younger by one or two years in terms of their cognitive declining,” Kang said.The contrasts appeared between those who ate about eight servings versus three servings of green leafy vegetables a week, and those who ate about five servings versus two servings of cruciferous vegetables a week.- Nampa-APSuch foods include broccoli, cauliflower, romaine lettuce and spinach.The federally funded study didn’t include men, but the effect would probably appear in them too, said Jae Hee Kang, an instructor at Harvard’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.Other studies released on Monday showed evidence that obesity, high cholesterol and high blood pressure can raise the risk of developing Alzheimer’s or other dementia later on, and that leisure activities with mental, physical and social aspects may reduce the risk of later dementia.Kang’s study and the other two “add to the growing understanding that we may be able to reduce our risk of Alzheimer’s by changing our lifestyles – losing weight, changing our diets and staying mentally and socially active”, said Marilyn Albert, who chairs the Alzheimer Association’s Medical and Scientific Advisory Council.Kang stressed that her findings need to be confirmed by further studies.She and colleagues looked at 13 388 nurses participating in a long-running health study.While most women in the study showed some decline, those who had habitually eaten the most of the green leafy vegetables showed less decline than those who ate the least, Kang said.”It was almost like they were younger by one or two years in terms of their cognitive declining,” Kang said.The contrasts appeared between those who ate about eight servings versus three servings of green leafy vegetables a week, and those who ate about five servings versus two servings of cruciferous vegetables a week.- Nampa-AP