Several factors influence the age of the brain, including the real age, genetics and lifestyle (chronological), explains Dafna Pachter, doctoral student at Ben Gurion University of the Negev in Israel and the first author of the study. “We have ways to influence the age of the brain, and that was the purpose of the test: to examine how the diet affects the markers involved in this process.”
By examining the changes in certain blood proteins called biomarkers for study participants who followed a green Mediterranean diet over 18 months, researchers observed “in real life how the lifestyle and food changes affect the aging process”, explains Pachter.
“This approach offers a dynamic vision of brain health, which allows us to detect biological changes long before the symptoms appear.
What is the Mediterranean green diet?
- Large quantities of fruits, vegetables and whole grains, as well as healthy fats from nuts, seeds and olive oil
- Moderate quantities of dairy, fish and red wine
- Small amounts of red meat, eggs, processed foods, refined cereals and added sugars
The Mediterranean green diet is a modified version that suggests considerably cut or reduce animal products in favor of more plant -based foods, explains Martha Theran, RDN, who works at Pritikin Longevity Center in Miami.
This way of eating “is one of the most powerful tools we have to protect health from the heart and the brain,” said Theran.
The green Mediterranean diet can slow the aging of the brain
To assess the effects of the food diet on brain age, researchers analyzed the data of nearly 300 participants in direct trial, a long -term study on the link between food and brain health.
The participants were randomly selected to follow one of the three regimes over 18 months:
- Standard healthy power supply
- A traditional Mediterranean regime with nuts
- A green Mediterranean diet that was low in red meat and transformed and incorporated with nuts, green tea and an aquatic superfood called Mankai.
MRIs were used to measure brain age. The researchers also measured 87 different protein biomarkers in the blood of the participants to see if they “differ between participants with different brain aging trajectories and if these differences were affected by food,” explains Pachter.
They found that higher levels of two proteins – Galectine -9 (GAL -9) and the decor (DCN) – were associated with accelerated brain aging. However, these protein levels decreased in the 18 months in the participants who followed a green Mediterranean diet.
“This indicates a potential positive effect on biological processes linked to brain aging by modulating blood proteins”, explains Pachter, adding that the results “highlight the importance of adopting a healthy food scheme, in particular the green Mediterranean diet, rich in polyphenols, as a means of protecting our brain.”
A green Mediterranean diet may have several health benefits
Brain aging implies the progressive loss of neurons and the decrease in brain tissue, which can lead to a cognitive decline and other neurological problems, says Pachter.
“Although aging itself cannot be avoided, our study examined how an 18-month-old food intervention could influence these processes,” she said.
“The green Mediterranean diet seems to amplify the advantages of the traditional Mediterranean diet by focusing more on foods rich in polyphenols, such as green tea, nuts and other plants based on plants,” explains Theran. “Although the traditional Mediterranean diet is already very healthy, the” green “version displays them more directly to target brain health.”
The brain protection advantages observed in this study suggest that a green Mediterranean diet could be a potential means without medication to slow down the age -related brain decline, theran.
The study has limits
The test included mainly men, Pachter said: “Applicability to women requires confirmation.”
The team used MRIs to determine the age of the so-called brain of each participant, which provides a “robust biomarker”, says Pachter, but it is not a clinical diagnosis or a direct cognitive measurement pre or post-intervention.
Then, Pachter says that his team plans to extend and validate additional variables which could serve as early indicators for increasing risk for cognitive decline. She says it can allow intervention before the appearance of symptoms.
Advice to adopt a green Mediterranean diet
To stimulate the brain protection potential of a Mediterranean diet, Theran suggests “locking” your plate with these tips:
- Add one to two cups of green tea to your daily routine.
- Eat a handful of nuts most of the time.
- Include more green vegetables and vegetable proteins, such as lentils, beans, tofu, nuts, mankai and other greens.
- Reduce your consumption of red and transformed meats. Rather, choose fish, poultry or plant proteins.
- Get more polyphenols by eating more berries, herbs, olive oil and green vegetables.
The results of the study suggest that these small adjustments “can create measurable differences in cerebral aging markers”, explains Theran.
