Can what you eat actually affect how well your brain ages? That’s been a subject of heated debate as some scientists race to identify gene mutations linked to Alzheimer’s disease while others home in on nutrients that appear to protect against dementia and keep our brains sharp through the years.

1. WHAT YOU EAT
AFFECT YOUR BRAIN
Can what you eat actually affect
how well your brain ages? That’s
been a subject of heated debate as
some scientists race to identify
gene mutations linked to
Alzheimer’s disease while others
home in on nutrients that appear
to protect against dementia and
keep our brains sharp through the
years.
Vegetarian activist Dr. Neal
Barnard, a clinical researcher and
adjunct professor at the George
Washington University School of
Medicine, believes the balance tips
more toward diet than genes and
advocates for a complete avoidance
of animal products in his new
book “Power Foods for the Brain.”
Few nutritionists would argue with
the basic tenets of Barnard’s eating
plan: Consume a diet based on
fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts,
and whole grains. He also urges
regular exercise and adequate sleep
to prevent brain diseases and rapid
aging.

2. Where Barnard and his staff at the
nonprofit Washington-based research
group Physicians for Responsible
Medicine part ways with the public
health establishment is in their vegan
approach to eating. In their view, meat,
chicken, fish, dairy products, and most
oils are not brain foods.
First off, animal products contain
saturated fat, which “has been pretty
strongly linked to Alzheimer’s risk,”
Barnard says. “There’s no good reason to
eat it.” Saturated fat raises artery-
damaging cholesterol, and research
suggests it contributes to the formation
of beta amyloid plaques that gunk up the
brain and are associated with
Alzheimer’s disease.
That makes sense to me, but why should
I avoid my fat-free Greek yogurt or egg
white omelets that contain no saturated
fat? Barnard has a weaker case to make
against those because research hasn’t
drawn a clear connection between
animal protein and long-term memory
loss.
He did, though, make an intriguing
argument against the over-fortification
of foods, especially cereals supplemented
with minerals such as copper and iron.
“Very few of us are deficient in these
minerals, and many of us have too
much,” he said. High intakes of copper
have been linked to memory problems in
seniors, and both copper and iron have
been found in beta-amyloid plaques.

3. Just how much these minerals
contribute to Alzheimer’s risk remains
unknown, but Barnard was quick to
point out that while the body may get
too much iron from animal products, it
only absorbs the different form of iron
found in spinach and other leafy greens
when stores are running low.
Limiting omega-6 fats such as corn and
vegetable oil is also key for brain
health, Barnard says, because these fats
knock out the beneficial effects of
omega-3 fats — found in fish oil,
walnuts, and flaxseed — that promote
blood flow to the brain.
Barnard excludes fish as a brain food
because fatty fish is often contaminated
with mercury, which is also toxic to the
brain.
So which foods will actually help you
shore up your brain’s defenses against
aging? The book is careful not to single
out a few magic bullet foods that will
ward off memory loss — none exists —
but it does emphasize the following
dietary principles.
Dietary principles:
1. Make a power plate at every
meal. One quarter of the plate should
be filled with fruits, one quarter with
grains, one quarter with legumes, and
one quarter with vegetables.
2. Do colorful combinations of
foods. Combining sweet potatoes with
kale or oranges with apples will
ensure that you get a variety of
vitamins and other plant chemicals
that work synergistically to promote
good brain health.
3. Get creative with legumes. Vegans use
these as their main source of protein,
so think hummus, tofu, tempeh, as
well as beans, lentils, and peas.
4. Learn to prepare foods without
oil. The book recommends dry
sauteeing vegetables. I’m assuming
over low heat, so they won’t burn. You
can also cook vegetables and grains in
vegetable broth for added flavor.
5. Don’t forget the nuts and
seeds. Sprinkle nuts and seeds on
your salads, grains, and morning
oatmeal to get omega-3 fats and
vitamin E, both beneficial for the
brain.
6. Skip all supplements, except one
containing B12. Vegetarians often
lack B12 — essential for proper brain
function — in their diets since it’s
found mainly in animal products such
as beef, turkey, and pork, so the book
recommends taking a daily
supplement.