As you get older, it seems a simple fact of life that you will, one many occasions, be late for work because you just couldn’t find your car keys. However, if you’re sick of forgetting where you put them (or you want your boss to like you a little bit more!) you can boost your brain power with five simple foods.
Firstly, ‘going green’ isn’t just a matter of environmental wellness, but it should also occur in your mug! A recent study gave participants a whey-based, green-tea-containing soft drink while performing a working memory task, and found that the subjects had a better activation in their dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) compared to the control group. DLPFC is an area that plays a key role in working memory, and so the scientists concluded that green tea extract may enhance brain engagement during cognitive processes, and even prevent neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease.
Another green food to improve your cognitive wellbeing is avocado. The fat content in this produce is composed of healthy monounsaturated fatty acids, which are known to decrease your risk of hypertension. Among the late to middle-aged population, hypertension has been associated with cognitive decline, but high monounsaturated fatty acid intake has been found to protect against this.
Next, soy or soya has been shown to increase your plasma dopamine levels, which have several important implications in behaviour, cognition, and reward-driven learning. The same researchers also found that, due to their immuno-modulatory effect, soybeans can balance your stress hormones, and improve your brain circulation and energy metabolism.
Also, sweet potatoes tend to only appear on the table on special occasions, but their abundance of carotenoids means they should have a lot more prevalence in your diet. Carotenoids, which give sweet potatoes their rich orange colour, are both anti-oxidants and anti-inflammatory agents, meaning that they may help improve cognitive functioning in the elderly. However, according to previous research, the low concentration of plasma in carotenoids is associated with cognitive decline or mild cognitive impairment, and so, as excessive sweet potato intake may produce the desired opposite effect, moderation is key.
Finally, dark chocolate may have beneficial effects to the brain. A recent study has shown that the regular consumption of cocoa flavanols might be effective in improving cognitive function in elderly subjects with mild cognitive impairment, especially with regard to verbal fluency, executive function, and cognitive flexibility. However, though chocolate gives you a punch to your mental performance, unfortunately, this is not an excuse to keep eating it until you get diabetes and your leg falls off. Again, it’s a matter of everything in moderation.
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