While spinach is often touted as brain food, the honours actually go to Kale. It’s on the top of the list (look at table below) for the lutein, an ingredient that’s well known for its vision enhancing abilities. Turns out that’s not all this ingredient is good for; it also improves cognitive function.
Studies indicate that Lutein could be an essential ingredient in keeping your brain and mind sharp. University of Illinois researchers studied 60 adults aged 25o 45 and the study found that middle-aged participants with higher levels of lutein had a neural responses that matched those of younger individuals.
“Now there’s an additional reason to eat nutrient-rich foods such as green leafy vegetables, eggs and avocados,” said Naiman Khan, a professor of kinesiology and community health at Illinois. “We know these foods are related to other health benefits, but these data indicate that there may be cognitive benefits as well.”
Most other studies have focused on older adults, after there has already been a period of decline. The Illinois researchers chose to focus on young to middle-aged adults to see whether there was a notable difference between those with higher and lower lutein levels.
“As people get older, they experience typical decline. However, research has shown that this process can start earlier than expected. You can even start to see some differences in the 30s,” said Anne Walk, a postdoctoral scholar and first author of the paper. “We want to understand how diet impacts cognition throughout the lifespan. If lutein can protect against decline, we should encourage people to consume lutein-rich foods at a point in their lives when it has maximum benefit.” full study
“Studies have already shown that lutein plays a role in ongoing brain maintenance and aging,” Kuchan says. “Abbott and the CNLM, in partnership with the University of Georgia, are going a step further to understand the impact of lutein supplementation in aging adults with the goal of determining whether the nutrient can maintain brain power and potentially prevent cognitive decline.” report
“Increased levels of lutein may help speed up cognitive milestones in infants,” says Matthew J. Kuchan, PhD, a discovery scientist and the global science lead for Abbott’s partnership with the Center for Nutrition, Learning, and Memory (CNLM) at the University of Illinois. “These cognitive milestones could include an infant making eye contact with a parent, moving their head to look at something in their peripheral vision, or turning their attention to someone when they hear their name.” Full report
This table lists 17 foods that are rich in Lutein
• Diets rich in the carotenoids beta-carotene, lutein and lycopene resulted in greater resistance against oxidation of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. Carotenoid supplements did not increase LDL oxidation resistance. Higher plasma concentration of carotenoids was also associated with lower DNA damage
• Lutein and zeaxanthin in combination with vitamin E appears to improve lung function
• Plasma levels of antioxidants such as lutein, zeaxanthin, vitamin E, beta-cryptoxanthin, lycopene and alpha- and beta-carotene are inversely correlated with congestive heart failure severity
• Plasma carotenoid levels are also inversely correlated with prostate cancer Dr Mercola
