Good nutrition is always an important factor in overall good health. This has not even been contested much by people. Good nutrition also helps in brain development. A study on older people has shown that nutrition helps in brain health and intelligence.
Brain health is important in overall physical health. Eating vegetables as well as some other food that has lutein has helped in preserving crystallized intelligence. This type of intelligence lets people use skills and knowledge that one has acquired throughout life. Lutein is a pigment found in leafy vegetables though it could also be found in egg yolk and broccoli.
The study has been made by University of Illinois graduate student Marta Zamroziewicz together with Psychology Professor Aaron Barbey. They have found that lutein can embed in the brain. Lutein then plays a neoprotective role there.
For the research, 122 people aged 65 to 75 years of age participated. They performed tests as well as answered questions on crystallized intelligence. Blood samples were also taken as well as MRI to measure different levels of lutein. For the research, the team focused on the temporal cortex of the brain.
The study has found that blood serum with higher levels of lutein has been seen on people who performed better in the crystallized intelligence tests, according to theUniversity of Illinois News Bureau. Those who have higher lutein levels are found to have thicker gray matter in the parahippocampal cortex. This region in the brain is associated with healthy aging.
Barbey has said that lutein most likely has an anti-inflammatory role. The study also shows that certain nutrients can help in slowing decline in cognition. Lutein seems to provide a healthy effect in the brain especially when it comes to crystallized intelligence, as Science Daily reports
Aging has much effect on the brain. As people grow older, certain brain functions begin to slow down. Good nutrition helps in slowing down the aging of the brain. Nutrition then helps in brain health and intelligence. Another study shows that people are prone to remember fake events.
