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TOKYO, April 17 — Research suggests that a diet consisting of traditional Japanese foods such as green tea, seaweed and fish may help prevent brain shrinkage with age, a common marker of cognitive decline and dementia. However, the study reports that this positive effect was only found in women!
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It’s no secret that Japan – and in particular Okinawa, located in the south of the country, near Taiwan – is known for its long-livers. In fact, the idyllic Japanese archipelago is home to a large number of elderly people who have passed the 100-year mark. Besides their mental health and active lifestyle, as Japan Airlines details, their diet also contributes to their longevity. Vegetables of all kinds, as well as rice, fish and seaweed, are on the menu of these famous centenarians. But they are not the only people in Japan who follow such a traditional diet.
And that’s a good thing, because research shows that these eating habits can help prevent age-related brain shrinkage, especially in women. In older people, this brain shrinkage can lead to cognitive decline and dementia. “Adherence to a healthy diet with increased intake of whole grains, seafood, vegetables, fruits, mushrooms, soy products and green tea has a potential protective effect against brain atrophy in middle-aged and older Japanese women, but not in men.” “concludes a study published in Nutrition Journal.
A total of 1,636 Japanese adults aged 40 to 89 took part in the study, which was supported by the National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology of Japan and the University of Liverpool in the UK. The participants’ diets were monitored for two years, identifying three main types of diet: Western diet; a diet based primarily on vegetables, fruits and dairy products; and finally, the traditional Japanese diet. The study’s findings suggest that the secret to women’s good cognitive health may lie in consuming green tea, mushrooms, miso (fermented soybean paste) and other typically Japanese foods. In fact, it was found that women who ate a traditional Japanese diet had less brain shrinkage than those who ate a Western diet. The same could not be said about men. ― ETH Studio
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