There is no smart medicine in the world. It won't make your IQ soar all the way. But new research suggests that eating foods rich in antioxidants can prevent dementia. Is it also a disguised way to help become smart? A study in the journal Neurology found that the antioxidants lutein, zeaxanthin and β- People with higher levels of cryptoxanthin are less likely to develop dementia in the future.
The study involved more than 7000 people who were over the age of 45 when they participated in the study. Blood samples were collected at the beginning of the study, and the physiological status of volunteers was determined through physical examination and communication test.
Subsequently, the research team followed them up for an average of 16 years.
According to long-term follow-up results, volunteers with high levels of lutein and zeaxanthin in their blood were far less likely to develop dementia. By comparing with people with low levels of two molecules, they found that for each standard deviation higher than lutein and zeaxanthin (about 15.4 μ mol / L), the risk of dementia decreased by 7%.
And another antioxidant β- The effect of cryptoxanthin may be more obvious, and every increase in its level by one standard deviation (about 15.4 μ mol / L) reduces the risk of dementia by 14%.
However, the researchers pointed out that after they introduced other factors, the impact of antioxidants decreased, including education and income, exercise level and so on, indicating that these factors can affect the link between antioxidants and dementia.
"Antioxidants may help protect the brain from cellular damage caused by oxidative stress." One of the study authors may a. Dr beydoun speculates that he plans to explore whether adding these antioxidants directly can protect brain function in the future.
In daily food, lutein and zeaxanthin are high in vegetables such as cabbage, spinach and broccoli, while fruits such as orange, papaya and persimmon are rich in zeaxanthin β- Cryptoxanthin. In order to ensure that they do not step into the ranks of dementia patients, eat more vegetables and fruits every day. They may be a real "smart medicine"!
reference material:
[1] Higher antioxidant levels linked to lower dementia risk。 Retrieved May 7th， 2022 from https：//medicalxpress.com/news/2022-05-higher-antioxidant-linked-dementia.html
[2] Association of Serum Antioxidant Vitamins and Carotenoids With Incident Alzheimer Disease and All-Cause Dementia Among US Adults。 Neurology（2022）。 DOI： 10.1212/WNL.0000000000200289