Research suggests that a heart-friendly diet may be key to preventing forgetfulness later in life

A heart-friendly diet can also prevent forgetfulness later in life.

The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, or DASH diet, is low in salt, sugar and red meat and high in fruits, vegetables, legumes and nuts, low-fat dairy products and grains.

In a new study involving more than 5,000 middle-aged women, they each gave a score for how close their typical food intake was to the DASH diet.

On average, about 30 years later, the women were asked about six types of everyday cognitive problems, including difficulty remembering a shopping list or current events.

If they reported at least two, it indicated a decline in their mental abilities.

Women who ate the healthiest diets, close to the DASH rules, were 17 percent less likely to experience this mental decline.

Experts believe a diet like DASH, which is good for the heart, cholesterol levels and blood pressure, also keeps the brain healthy – presumably by reducing inflammation.

Professor Yu Chen, senior author of the study from the NYU Grossman School of Medicine in the US, said: “Our findings suggest that a healthy diet is important in middle age, which will benefit both the brain and the brain over the years will come.” be good for the heart .

“Reducing salt, sugar and fat to lower blood pressure may also help prevent Alzheimer’s disease.”

“It’s a simple diet with good advice, like eating more vegetables, less meat and less sweets like cake and ice cream.”

Researchers looked at volunteers from a long-term study of women’s health who were asked about their diet between the ages of 35 and 65, and then about six cognitive problems (SUBS – please stay) when they were over 65. ).

The most common problem was memory problems; 40 percent of women reported a recent change in their ability to remember things.

Meanwhile, 19 percent said they had trouble remembering a short list of items, such as a shopping list, and 17 percent had trouble remembering current events.

The three other cognitive problems asked about were less common and affected no more than six percent of the women in the study.

These included difficulty understanding or following spoken instructions, difficulty following a group conversation or the plot of a television program, and difficulty navigating familiar streets.

The women were divided into four groups based on the degree to which their diet met the DASH rules on average 33 years ago.

A healthier diet – such as moving from the fourth to the third group – was associated with a seven percent reduced risk of at least two cognitive problems.

This was the case even when factors associated with memory problems later in life, such as smoking, lower education or a high BMI, were taken into account.

However, the researchers did not take into account some other factors that may have an influence, including social contacts, exercise and sleep levels.

The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, or DASH diet, is low in salt, sugar and red meat and high in fruits, vegetables, legumes and nuts, low-fat dairy products and grains (stock photo)

The study found that women only experienced a potential decline in their mental abilities if they reported two or more cognitive problems from the list of six – as some memory loss is normal with age.

While the cognitive problems examined in the study make life difficult for older people, in some cases they can be a sign of mild cognitive impairment that can lead to a diagnosis of dementia, such as Alzheimer’s disease.

Experts therefore suspect that a healthy diet that protects against memory loss later in life may also help prevent Alzheimer’s disease.

How closely women adhered to the DASH diet was determined by examining the foods they ate.

They were given a score from one to five for eight types of food, with higher scores for low consumption of red meat, salty and sweet foods such as cakes and ice cream, and higher scores for high consumption of fruit, including fruit juice and vegetables, excluding potatoes. legumes such as peas and beans as well as nuts, low-fat dairy products and cereals.

With the highest values ​​(out of 40), women belong to the top group with the most DASH compliant diet.

Compared to those in the bottom four group who ate the least on the diet, these women were 17 percent less likely to have at least two cognitive problems.

The results were published in the journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia.