With the average American living longer, age-related conditions like Alzheimer's disease and dementia are becoming increasingly prevalent, with few options for treatments — let alone a cure — in sight. But awareness is half the battle, and the more we educate ourselves now about brain health and what we can do to keep our minds sharp, the better position we will be in to stave off memory loss and other mental maladies later in life.
There are plenty of dietary choices you can make right now that lend themselves to stronger memory support and a healthier mind. Here are a few brain food suggestions from Health Magazine:
- Avocados and sunflower seeds: Foods that are rich in the antioxidant vitamin E — such as avocados and sunflower seeds — have been shown to reduce risk for Alzheimer's disease.
- Dark, leafy greens: Vegetables like kale, spinach and broccoli are excellent sources of vitamin E and folate, the latter being a key ingredient in reducing levels of an amino acid in the blood called homocysteine. While the relationship isn't yet totally clear, what is known is that homocysteine can kill nerve cells in the brain (as well as increase risks for heart disease) and folic acid can help curb homocysteine levels.
- Red wine: "People who drink alcohol or eat healthy may be healthier in other aspects of their life, so it is difficult to disentangle whether it's the healthy diet that protects them versus other healthy behaviors," Maria Carrillo, the Alzheimer's Association's senior director for medical and scientific relations, told the source. Nevertheless, studies have found that people who drink moderate amounts of red wine and other alcohol exhibit a reduced risk for Alzheimer's disease.
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