Would it kale you to eat more leafy greens?!
No, but it might help slow mental decline, according to a new study just published in the American Academy of Neurology.
Researchers had 960 men and women between the ages of 58 and 99 complete food frequency questionnaires and complete two or more cognitive assessments (like memory, spatial ability and perceptual speed tests) over five years.
They found that folks who ate one to two servings per day of leafy foodstuffs like lettuce, spinach, kale and collard greens scored the equivalent of 11 years younger on tests of mental ability than those who ate little or none.
It makes sense when you consider the fact greens contain lutein, folate, beta carotene and other nutrients known to affect ageing.
But what if you freaking hate leafy vegetables? What if the thought of a spinach salad makes your stomach turn?
The NY Times asked the study’s lead author Martha Clare Morris, a professor of epidemiology at Rush University in Chicago, if taking supplements containing the key nutrients was as good as eating the real thing. She’s not convinced.
“The evidence for supplements is not positive, either from observational studies or clinical trials. The nutrients in food have many different forms and interactions. A specific formulation put in a pill with the same effect? That’s wishful thinking.”
Right in front of my salad? Well I never.
Of course, as far as clinical studies go, this one was relatively small. While they controlled for smoking, physical activity and other variables, the link is observational and does not prove cause and affect.
Still – it’s a neat little reminder to up your intake of green. Even if that just involves you blitzing some spinach into your choc peanut butter smoothie.
