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Article Source: https://www.healthline.com/health-news/mediterranean-diet-good-for-cholesterol
Accessed from the world wide web at 13:00 hrs 19.09.22.
- A new study finds that across different races and ethnicities, the metabolites from healthier diets may help protect brain health.
- Diet is an important source of many metabolites, which can be markers of various aspects of our health.
- Past research has found that certain metabolites — including lipids, amino acids, and steroids — are linked with cognitive decline and dementia.
New research from investigators at Brigham and Women’s Hospital has further confirmed what is already known about the link between diet and cognition — that what we eat can impact our brain health.
Metabolites from healthier diets, such as the Mediterranean diet, were associated with stronger cognitive function while metabolites from diets higher in sugar were associated with poorer cognitive function, according to the report, which was published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia onFriday.
The researchers also demonstrated that these findings can be generalized to different races and ethnicities.
“Research like this shows us that what we eat can have profound effects on brain function. Diet is about much more than just your weight; it impacts how your brain and body function and can have significant effect on your mental and physical health,” Dr. Christopher Palmer, an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and author of Brain Energy, said.
The researchers wanted to understand how metabolites — substances produced in the body during digestion — impact cognition.
Different metabolites are produced by different kinds of foods and some are associated with positive health outcomes while other metabolites are consistently linked to worse health outcomes.
“Some metabolites are very healthy and good for us, (e.g. B12 helps in neurological function, which is why we want to make sure we get enough of it if we are vegan), and some of them are not so good for us (ribitol was an example from the study) and may negatively affect our cognition,” says Dr. Dana Ellis Hunnes, a senior clinical dietitian at UCLA medical center, assistant professor at UCLA Fielding School of Public Health.
The research team evaluated metabolite levels and cognitive function scores in 2,222 Hispanic and Latino individuals, 1,365 European people, and 478 African American people.
They then tested whether metabolites that have previously been linked to cognition in past research could be applied to the three different racial and ethnic groups involved in the study.
The research team found that six metabolites — four of which were sugars or derivatives of sugar — were associated with poorer cognitive function. Another type of metabolite, beta-cryptoxanthin, that is associated with fruit consumption and the Mediterranean diet was linked to stronger cognitive function.
The findings could be generalized across all racial and ethnic groups involved.
The researchers believe that metabolites may be biomarkers of an underlying relationship between diet and cognitive function. They didn’t find a strong casual relationship between metabolites and cognitive health, but hope future studies will explore how metabolites may directly impact cognition.
New research affirms that what we eat can impact our brain health. By analyzing levels of metabolites, or substances produced in the body during metabolism, researchers found that certain types of food are linked to better, or worse, cognitive health. Though it’s unclear how metabolites directly impact cognitive function, the findings show there is an underlying relationship between the two and highlights the importance of eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables.