Jacksonville's Neighborhood Garden

The Doctor's Office
One of the best things we can do for our brains is to eat fruits and vegetables.  While rates of Alzheimer's are skyrocketing in the U.S. researchers are demonstrating the powerful protective effect of fruits and vegetables on brain function as we age.  A very interesting study looked at a multitude of brain functions and their association with diet over an eight year period.  The researchers found that not only is quantity of fruits and vegetables consumed important to brain function, but so also is the variety of fruits and vegetables eaten.  Different types of plants were associated with improvements in different areas. For example, increased vegetable intake was associated with higher executive function and perceptual speed, and fruit intake was associated with better visual-spatial skills.   Both were associated with improved working memory.  The study found that the more fruits and vegetables consumed, the more the protection, especially up to a pound/day.  In other words, the biggest bang for brain protecting buck came from the first pound of fruits and vegetables/day. After that, improvements were noted, but they were less dramatic.  One of the reasons fruits and vegetables may protect our brains is that they increase the activity of an enzyme called Superoxide Dismutase.  This very important enzyme is a powerful anti-oxidant that is thought to prevent aging.

Polyphenols are one family of phytonutrients that seem to be particularly associated with brain protection, and specifically the subset anthocyanins, due to their ability to get into the brain.  The brain is sealed off from many things in our blood by the "blood-brain barrier".  This barrier protects our brain from toxins, but it also filters out many anti-oxidants, leaving the brain more susceptible to oxidative damage.  Polyphenols, however, are able to cross the blood-brain barrier and have been shown to powerfully decrease oxidative damage in brain cells.  This is not only important to protect us from daily oxidation (wear and tear), but also from dreaded diseases like Alzheimer's or Parkinson Dementia.  Much of the damage of these diseases is mediated through oxidative stress in the brain.  The Harvard Nurses Study has demonstrated a remarkable slowing of cognitive aging in the women who had high berry consumption.  The brain function of women eating berries was two and a half years younger!  This makes sense due to berries' high concentration of anthocyanins and polyphenols.  Another study showed both blueberries and grape juice improved cognitive function (memory and learning) in older adults.  A Swedish study of twins (identical genes) showed that a twin eating fruits and vegetables in midlife was less likely to develop dementia and Alzheimer's Disease than his or her sibling who wasn't eating fruits and vegetables.  So even if you have family members with Alzheimer's or Parkinson's disease, and even if you ate poorly as a child or teen, it seems it's still helpful to eat your berries, fruits and vegetables!