Harvard study finds this special diet could be the key to slowing brain aging

A green-Mediterranean diet, which includes green tea and the aquatic plant Mankai, may help slow brain aging. The research was published by Clinical Nutrition and was done by scientists from Ben-Gurion University, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and the University of Leipzig.

Brain aging is connected to conditions like mild memory problems and Alzheimer’s, where the brain acts older than a person’s actual age. Researchers used data from nearly 300 participants in the DIRECT PLUS trial, a long-term study on diet and brain health, as reported by Scitech Daily.

Over 18 months, participants followed one of three diets:

• Standard healthy diet.
• Traditional calorie-restricted Mediterranean diet: less sugar, more vegetables, fish and poultry instead of red meat.
• Green-Mediterranean diet: all of the above plus green tea and Mankai.

Blood tests found some proteins linked to faster brain aging. People eating a green-Mediterranean diet had lower levels of these proteins, which may help the brain age more slowly. Scientists think the effect comes from anti-inflammatory molecules in green tea and Mankai, as per the reports.


Anat Meir, postdoctoral research fellow at Harvard Chan School and co-lead of the study, said, “Studying the circulating proteins in blood allows us to observe how the brain’s aging processes are influenced by lifestyle and dietary changes… By mapping these protein signatures, we gain powerful new insight into how interventions, such as diet, may help preserve cognitive function as we age”, as stated by Scitech Daily.

The study is officially titled, “Serum Galectin-9 and Decorin in relation to brain aging and the green-Mediterranean diet: A secondary analysis of the DIRECT PLUS randomized trial”.

FAQs

Q1. What is the green-Mediterranean diet?
It is a healthy diet that includes vegetables, fish, poultry, green tea, and the plant Mankai to help slow brain aging.

Q2. Can the green-Mediterranean diet really slow brain aging?
Yes, a Harvard-linked study found it lowers certain blood proteins linked to faster brain aging.