Eating Green Leafy Vegetables May Prevent Memory Decline

A new study out of Rush University Medical Center found that eating just one serving a day of green, leafy vegetables may be linked to a slower rate of brain aging. 

The study found that people who ate at least one serving of green, leafy vegetables a day had a slower rate of decline on memory tests and thinking skills than people who rarely or never ate those vegetables. Green leafy vegetables include kale, broccoli, mustard greens, collards and spinach.

The cognitive difference between the groups who did and didn’t eat those vegetables regularly was about 11 years, according to study authors.

The study involved 960 people with an average age of 81 who did not have dementia and were followed for an average of 4.7 years. Participants completed a questionnaire about eating habits and had thinking and memory skills tested yearly.

The study was published today in the online issue of the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

Appalachia Health News is a project of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, with support from the Marshall Health, Charleston Area Medical Center and WVU Medicine.