Eating Leafy Greens Daily May Help Keep Minds Sharp

To age well, we must eat well — there's been a lot of evidence that heart-healthy diets help protect the brain.

Eating Leafy Greens Daily May Help Keep Minds Sharp

The latest good news: A study recently published in Neurology finds that healthy seniors who had daily helpings of leafy green vegetables — such as spinach, kale, and collard greens — had a slower rate of cognitive decline, compared to those who tended to eat little or no greens.

"The association is quite strong," says study author Martha Clare Morris, a professor of nutrition science at Rush Medical College in Chicago. She also directs the Rush Institute for Healthy Aging.

The research included 960 participants of the Memory and Aging Project. Their average age is 81, and none of them have dementia. Each year the participants undergo a battery of tests to assess their memory. Scientists also keep tracking their eating habits and lifestyle habits.

To analyze the relationship between leafy greens and age-related cognitive changes, the researchers assigned each participant to one of five groups, according to the number of greens eaten. Those who tended to eat the most greens comprised the top quintile, consuming, on average, about 1.3 servings per day. Those in the bottom quintile said they consume little or no greens.

After about five years of follow-up/observation, "the rate of decline for [those] in the top quintile was about half the decline rate of those in the lowest quintile," Morris says.

So, what's the most convenient way to get these greens into your diet?

"Your goal every day is to have a big salad,"  bags of dark, leafy salad mixes."

What might explain a benefit from greens?

Turns out, these vegetables contain a range of nutrients and bioactive compounds including vitamin E and K, lutein, beta-carotene, and folate.

"They have different roles and different biological mechanisms to protect the brain," says Morris. More research is needed, she says, to fully understand their influence, but scientists do know that consuming too little of these nutrients can be problematic.

For instance, "if you have insufficient levels of folate in your diet you can have higher levels of homocysteine," Morris says. This can set the stage for inflammation and a build-up of plaque, or fatty deposits, inside your arteries, which increases the risk of stroke. Research shows elevated homocysteine is associated with cognitive impairment among older adults.

Another example: Getting plenty of Vitamin E from foods in your diet can help protect cells from damage, and also has been associated with better cognitive performance.

"So, when you eat leafy greens, you're eating a lot of different nutrients, and together they can have a powerful impact," Morris says.