Diet may be the no. 1 way to influence how your brain ages

If preserving the integrity of your mind is a top priority as you transition into old age, you’ll want to pay attention to what you’re eating. A new study found that diet just might be the number one factor in brain aging, setting the stage for cognitive function throughout a person’s life.

Lisa Mosconi, associate director of the Alzheimer’s Prevention Clinic at the New York-Presbyterian / Weill Cornell Medical Center and author of the book Brain Food: The Surprising Science of Eating for Cognitive Power, discovered that what a person eats is potentially far more important than what he or she does at the gym or with a book of brain puzzles.

Diet, Mosconi says, is what truly determines the longevity of a person’s brain, either providing or not essential nutrients like vitamins B12 and C that support its functionality. It’s about intaking a complete spectrum of vitamins, minerals, and other beneficial food compounds that, together, reinforce the brain’s ability to perform at its best.

“It’s what you take in total content, because there are interactions between everything,” says Mosconi, noting that it’s far better to eat a variety of foods with diverse nutrients as opposed to a very specific or limited selection. “You can’t say, ‘I’m going to eat broccoli and everything will be fine.’ It doesn’t work like that.”

Mediterranean diet holds top spot for maximizing brain health

What Mosconi and her team learned is that a Mediterranean diet rich in whole fruits and vegetables, proteins from the sea (ie fish), legumes, and whole grains tends to be the best option for minimizing the type of inflammation that can lead to a breakdown of tissue in the brain, as well as reduced brain metabolism.

On the other hand, conventional dairy and meat products, along with processed foods, are directly associated with cognitive decline. Over time, these unhealthy foods can damage brain tissue to such an extent that microglia, or the brain’s “housekeepers,” engage and further harm the brain.

Instead, she says, it’s better to stick with foods that characterize what people t