New York: Slight dietary modifications, such as adding cheese and red wine to our diet, could have a positive impact on our cognitive acuity in our later years, a new study done at Iowa State University shows.
The researchers, after analysing the data of 1,787 ageing adults (46 to 77 years old), found that cheese was shown to be the most protective food against age-related cognitive problems, even late into life.
They also found that daily consumption of alcohol, particularly red wine, was related to improvements in cognitive function. Weekly consumption of lamb, but not other red meats, was shown to improve long-term cognitive prowess.
“I was pleasantly surprised that our results suggest that responsibly eating cheese and drinking red wine daily are not just good for helping us cope with our current COVID-19 pandemic, but perhaps also dealing with an increasingly complex world that never seems to slow down,” principal investigator Auriel Willette, an assistant professor in Food Science and Human Nutrition, said.
Co-researcher Brandon Klinedinst added, ” Depending on the genetic factors you carry, some individuals seem to be more protected from the effects of Alzheimers, while other seem to be at greater risk. That said, I believe the right food choices can prevent Alzheimer’s and cognitive decline altogether. Perhaps the silver bullet we’re looking for is upgrading how we eat.”
Study participants also answered questions about their food and alcohol consumption at baseline and through two follow-up assessments.
The questionnaire asked participants about their intake of fresh fruit, dried fruit, raw vegetables and salad, cooked vegetables, oily fish, lean fish, processed meat, poultry, beef, lamb, pork, cheese, bread, cereal, tea and coffee, beer and cider, red wine, white wine and champagne and liquor.
The study was published in the November 2020 issue of the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.
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