Green Leafy Vegetables

A recent longitudinal study published December 20, 2017 online in Neurology  found that older people who consumed 1-2 servings of green leafy vegetables daily were cognitively 11 years younger than those who rarely or never consumed green leafy vegetables. The study involved 960 individuals as part of the Rush Memory and Aging project with the average age of 81 years, average education of 14.9 years, and mean follow-up of 4.7 years. The researchers were able to tease out the phytonutrients most responsible for the beneficial effects: folate, lutein, and carotenoids. Green leafy vegetables include spinach, kale, collards, and dark lettuce. Aside from this study, research has been done on the MIND diet, which is a modification of the DASH diet and Mediterranean diet, emphasizing green leafy vegetables. This diet also is associated with a decrease in cognitive decline. So eat those green leafy vegetables!