Avocado, Spinach, Eggs: Three Foods That Keep Your Brain Young

If you are among those who add leafy greens to your salad at every opportunity, believing that it will make you leaner and healthier, you'll likely be pleased to hear about another benefit of these leaves: they help maintain cognitive fitness, according to a new study by the University of Illinois.

The study, which included sixty adults aged 25 to 45, found that middle-aged individuals with high levels of lutein—a nutrient found in leafy greens like spinach and kale, as well as in avocados and eggs—had neural responses similar to those of younger people.

"Here is another reason to eat lutein-rich foods like leafy greens, avocados, and eggs," says Professor Neuman Khan, head of the research team. "We know these foods have other health benefits, but the data also show they have cognitive benefits as well."

Most previous research on lutein focused on the elderly who already suffered from some degree of cognitive decline. The researchers at the University of Illinois, in contrast, chose to focus on young and middle-aged people to see if there is a difference between those with high lutein levels and those with low lutein levels.

"We want to understand how diet influences cognition throughout the lifespan," say the researchers. "If lutein protects against cognitive decline, we should encourage people to consume lutein-rich foods at a stage in life when lutein provides maximal benefit."

Lutein is a nutrient that the body cannot produce by itself, so it must be obtained through the diet. Lutein accumulates in brain tissues, as well as in the eyes, allowing researchers to measure its levels without the need for invasive methods.