In the quest to promote healthier aging and prevent cognitive decline, scientists have been diligently studying the brain for years.
While much is known about the risk factors that may accelerate brain aging, less has been discovered about effective ways to maintain cognitive function as we age.
However, recent research has shed new light on the crucial role that specific nutrients play in healthy brain aging.
A combination of neuroscience and nutritional science
The study, published in Nature agingwas led by Aron Barbey, director of the Center for Brain, Biology and Behavior at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
At his side were Jisheng Wu, a doctoral student at Nebraska, and Christopher Zwilling, a research scientist at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
This brilliant team of scientists combined state-of-the-art innovations in neuroscience and nutritional sciences to conduct a multimodal study that identified a specific nutritional profile in participants who performed better cognitively.
Identifying two types of brain aging
The cross-sectional study included 100 cognitively healthy participants, aged 65-75 years, who completed a questionnaire with demographic information, body measurements and physical activity.
After a fasting period, blood plasma was collected to analyze nutrient biomarkers, and participants also underwent cognitive assessments and MRI scans.
The efforts revealed two types of brain aging among participants: accelerated and slower than expected. Interestingly, those with slower brain aging had a distinct nutritional profile.
Brain-boosting beneficial nutrients
The beneficial blood nutrient biomarkers identified in the study were a combination of
- Fatty acids: Vaccenic acid, gondoic acid, alpha-linolenic acid, elcosapentaenoic acid, eicosadienic acid and lignoceric acid
- Antioxidants and carotenoids: Includes cis-lutein, trans-lutein and zeaxanthin
- Two forms of vitamin E: Found in vegetable oils, nuts and seeds, to name a few
- Choline: Found in egg yolks and fish, to name two examples
This profile is correlated with nutrients found in the Mediterranean diet, which previous research has linked to healthy brain aging.
“We investigated specific nutrient biomarkers, such as fatty acid profiles, that are known in nutritional science to potentially provide health benefits,” Barbey explains.
This is consistent with the extensive body of research in this area demonstrating the positive health effects of the Mediterranean Diet, which emphasizes foods rich in these beneficial nutrients.
The current study identifies certain nutrient biomarker patterns that show promise and have beneficial associations with measures of cognitive performance and brain health.
Linking nutrition, cognition and brain function
One of the unique aspects of this study is its comprehensive approach, integrating data on nutrition, cognitive functions and brain imaging.
“This allows us to gain a more robust understanding of the relationship between these factors. We go beyond just measuring cognitive performance with traditional neuropsychological tests,” said Barbey.
“Instead, we simultaneously investigate the structure, function and metabolism of the brain, demonstrating a direct link between these brain properties and cognitive skills,” he continued.
According to their research, these brain properties are directly linked to diet and nutrition, as evidenced by the patterns observed in nutrient biomarkers.
Next steps in brain aging research
The researchers plan to continue investigating this nutritional profile as it is linked to healthy brain aging. Barbey noted that in the future it is possible that the findings will help develop therapies and interventions to promote brain health.
“An important next step is to conduct randomized controlled trials. In these studies, we will isolate specific nutrients that have beneficial associations with cognitive function and brain health and deliver them in the form of nutraceuticals,” he said.
This approach will allow scientists to definitively assess whether increasing levels of these specific nutritional profiles reliably leads to improvements in cognitive test performance and measures of brain structure, function and metabolism.
In addition to the ongoing research, Barbey is also co-editor of an upcoming special collection for the Journal of Nutritiontitled “Nutrition and the Brain – Exploring Pathways to Optimal Brain Health through Nutrition.”
“The National Institutes of Health recently launched a 10-year strategic plan to significantly accelerate nutrition research. Our work ties directly into this crucial initiative, with the aim of contributing valuable insights into how dietary patterns influence brain health and cognitive function,” concludes Barbey.
Grow older gracefully with a healthy brain
In summary, this intriguing study led by Aron Barbey and his team at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has opened new doors in our understanding of the complicated relationship between diet and brain health.
By combining advanced techniques from neuroscience and nutritional sciences, they have identified a specific nutritional profile associated with slower brain aging and better cognitive performance.
This profile, rich in fatty acids, antioxidants and other beneficial compounds, is consistent with the well-known Mediterranean diet and offers hope for future interventions aimed at promoting healthier brain aging.
As researchers continue to explore this fascinating field through randomized controlled trials and special collections such as the upcoming ‘Nutrition and the Brain’ in the Journal of Nutritionwe come closer to unlocking the secrets of optimal brain health and developing targeted strategies to nourish our minds throughout our lives.
The full study was published in the journal Nature aging.
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