TOKYO, April 17 — A diet of traditional Japanese foods such as green tea, seaweed and fish may help prevent age-related brain shrinkage, a common cause of cognitive decline and dementia, according to research. However, the study reported that this beneficial effect was only found in women!
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It’s no secret that Japan – and especially Okinawa, located in the southern part of the country not far from Taiwan – is a centenarian. In fact, the Japanese islands are home to many elderly people who have passed the 100-year mark. In addition to their mindset and active lifestyle, their diet is thought to contribute to their longevity, as detailed by Japan Airlines. All kinds of vegetables, but rice, fish and seaweed are on the menu for these famous centenarians. However, people in Japan are not the only ones who follow such a traditional diet.
And that’s a good thing, because research suggests that these dietary habits can help prevent age-related brain shrinkage, especially in women. In older people, this type of brain decline can lead to cognitive decline and dementia. “Adherence to a healthy diet, including whole grains, seafood, vegetables, fruits, mushrooms, soybeans, and green tea, may prevent brain toxicity in middle-aged and older Japanese women but not in men,” concludes the research, published in the Journal of Nutrition.
The study, conducted by Japan’s National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology and the University of Liverpool in England, involved 1,636 Japanese adults between the ages of 40 and 89. The diet of the participants was monitored for two years, which allowed to determine three main types of diet: Western food; A diet based mainly on vegetables, fruits and dairy products; And finally the traditional Japanese diet. The study’s findings suggest that the secret to good cognitive health for women may lie in eating green tea, mushrooms, miso (fermented soybean paste) and other traditional Japanese foods. In fact, women who followed a traditional Japanese diet showed less mental decline compared to those who followed a Western diet. It was not the same for men. – ETX Studio