June 26, 2019
Can A Handful Of Nuts A Day Ward Off Dementia? A New Study May Think So
By Florencia Tagliavini, th3 NutraMilk Nutritionist.
A new study by The University of South Australia, published in the Journal of Nutrition, Health and Aging in February 2019 shows a positive association between nut consumption and better mental functioning, including improved thinking, reasoning, and memory.
The study analyzed nine waves of China Health Nutrition Survey data collected over 22 years, finding that 17 percent of participants (4822 Chinese adults aged 55+ years) were regular consumers of nuts (mostly peanuts).
The university’s lead researcher, Dr. Ming Li, says that eating more than 10g a day (or 2 teaspoons), long term could improve cognitive function in older adults by up to 60 percent– compared to those not eating nuts – effectively warding off what would normally be experienced as a natural two-year cognition decline.
The World Health Organization (WHO) says that by 2020, the number of people aged 60 years and older will outnumber children younger than five years old.
The WHO estimates that globally, the number of people living with dementia is at 47 million and by 2030, this is projected to rise to 75 million and by 2050, global dementia cases are estimated to almost triple.
Due to the advancing worldwide prevalence, this has become a global concern. Long-term, high nut consumption could play an important roll in improving cognitive health in older people.
Nuts are known to be high in healthy fats, protein, and fiber, certain micronutrients, and antioxidants with nutritional properties that can lower cholesterol and improve cognitive health.
A nutty solution to improving brain health? Maybe or maybe not? It´s worth a try!
For more information about diet and brain health – check out the following article: Top Nutrients for Brain Health.
