Eat a Healthy Diet and Reduce Your Risk of Cognitive Decline by 24%

Healthy diets are rich in antioxidants and are very good for the brain health. A new research by Ontario-based McMaster University has revealed that people who eat healthier diets with higher quantities of vegetables, fruits, fish, nuts, soy products and moderate alcohol intake are at a reduced risk of cognitive decline as they get older. The research team tracked the health and habits of 28,000 people who were taking part in two international studies across 40 countries. They found that of the 5,700 people with the healthiest diets, 14% had developed cognitive decline. On the other hand, in the 5,460 people with the least healthy diets, about 18% of them experienced cognitive decline. It may not sound like a big difference but it is about a 24% reduction in risk for the people on healthy diets. The unhealthy foods were red meat, deep-fried food items and sweets.

Study author Andrew Smyth said, "The consumption of ’healthy’ choices may be beneficial but the effect may be reduced with the consumption of ’unhealthy’ choices. For example, the beneficial effect of fruit may be lost if prepared with high amounts of fats or sugars. Our data suggest that an overall healthy diet is more important than the consumption of any one particular food."

Source-Medindia