If Americans didnt have enough reason to change their poor diet habits, the Conference on Alzheimers Disease presented another incentive to eat more healthily.
Researchers at Utah State University examined the cognitive health of 3,831 participants who were aged 65 or over and how well they followed the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet.
The group was first recruited in 1995 and checked a further four times over 11 years, where individuals were given the Modified Mini-Mental State examination and their diets were evaluated based upon certain criteria.
Individuals who followed the DASH diet closely returned higher cognitive function scores than those who included some of its elements.
Dr Hedi Wengreen explained that the “results suggest that including whole grains, vegetables, low-fat dairy foods, and nuts in ones diet may offer benefits for cognition in late life.”
For those who hope to enhance their diet, nutritional supplements offer extra vitamins. Another option is the alkaline diet, which is rich in citrus fruits, vegetables, tubers, nuts and legumes that helps promote bone health into old age.