Photography / Caitlin Bensel, Food Styling / Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Styling / Julia Bayless
recipe in the photo: Creamy Spinach Orzo
What you eat can have a big influence on the health of your brain. That’s why some eating patterns, like the MIND diet, which combines the Mediterranean diet and the DASH diet—focus on ingredients that can help keep your brain young. And while the foods the MIND diet prioritizes are great ways to protect your brain, new research indicates that a particular nutritional priority can have a big positive impact.
Related: Adding more of these foods to your diet may lower your risk of dementia, according to new research
Consumer more dietary fiber, particularly soluble fiber, may reduce the risk of dementia, according to a study of more than 3,500 adults in Japan. The study, published in Nutritional Neuroscienceused data from a survey that began in the 1980s. At the time, participants completed surveys to assess their dietary intake between 1985 and 1999. Most participants were between the ages of 40 and 64 when the study began, and completed annual follow-up questionnaires from 1999 to 2020.
Based on the amount of fiber they consumed, the participants were classified into four groups, from the most fiber consumed to the least fiber consumed. The researchers found that the more fiber the participants ate, the lower their risk of developing dementia. Participants were even better off if they ate more Soluble fiber, which you can find in foods such as oatmeal, legumes and citrus. (Soluble fiber is the type of fiber that makes you feel full and supports the bacteria in your gut, while insoluble fiber can help your gut health.)
“Dementia is a devastating disease that typically requires long-term care,” Kazumasa Yamagishi, MD, Ph.D., a professor and the study’s senior author, said in a press release. “We were interested in recent research that suggested dietary fiber might play a preventative role.”
Related: 12 foods with more fiber than an apple
It makes sense that fiber could make a difference when it comes to staving off dementia risk. Eating more fiber means the good bacteria in your gut can thrive, which can help reduce systemic inflammation. And research suggests a healthy gut can protect your brain. of Alzheimer’s disease.
“The mechanisms are currently unknown, but could involve the interactions that take place between the gut and the brain,” Yamagishi said. “One possibility is that soluble fiber regulates the composition of gut bacteria. This composition may affect neuroinflammation, which plays a role in the onset of dementia. It is also possible that dietary fiber reduces other risk factors for dementia, such as body weight, blood pressure, lipid and glucose levels”.
The good news is that several of the recommended foods on the MIND diet, such as whole grains, berries, and legumes, are good sources of fiber. And eating more of this satiating carbohydrate does more than improve your brain health. It is also a good way to lose weightsince you will feel fuller for longer, and it is an advantage for the health of your heart and bones.
Bottom line
Eat more dietary fiber, especially soluble fiber found in oats, legumes, and fruits, could help limit your risk of dementia and support your gut health. To increase your intake, try snacking on some high-fiber foods, such as apples, raspberries, and crispy chickpeasor prepare fiber-rich recipes like our Black Bean Hummus or Glazed BBQ Shrimp with Pepper, Vegetables and Orzo.
