London – It gave Popeye his bulging muscles but spinach may also be good for the brain.
Pensioners who regularly ate it along with other leafy greens stayed sharper for longer in a study. And there was no need to eat tins of it like the cartoon hero – just one or two helpings a day were found to dramatically slow down mental decline.
The researchers, from Rush University in Chicago, examined 950 people with an average age of 81, giving them a battery of mental tests over a decade.
Those who ate leafy green vegetables slowed their cognitive decline by the equivalent of 11 years, the Experimental Biology conference in Boston heard.
It is thought that vitamin K, folic acid and the natural colourings lutein and beta-carotene were behind the effects. These are also found in carrots, peppers and tomatoes.
Researcher Dr Martha Morris said that declining cognitive ability was central to dementia, so increased consumption of leafy greens could offer a simple way of protecting your brain.
‘With baby boomers approaching old age, there is huge public demand for lifestyle behaviours that can ward off loss of memory and other cognitive abilities,’ she added.
Daily Mail