Seafood and Brain Health

Are there ways to reduce the risk of cognitive decline as we age? This question is top-of-mind for many adults. The good news is that researchers have some answers. As one of many healthy lifestyle choices, eating seafood may help protect cognitive health as we age, explains a new continuing education course on Tunaversity.

The course, Seafood and Brain Health, delves into lifestyle choices that could influence cognitive health and the risk of dementia, as well as research findings about the impact of MIND and Mediterranean eating plans on brain health.

Lifestyle and cognitive health

One of the major research projects investigating how lifestyle factors affect cognitive health is the Rush Memory and Aging Project in Chicago. This longitudinal project has followed individuals for more than two decades to determine how lifestyle factors could affect cognitive health in older adults.

Their findings suggest that lifestyle factors can influence cognitive health in aging. The key protective factors, they found, were: not smoking; maintaining physical activity; limiting alcohol consumption, and making dietary choices that align with the Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay (MIND) diet.

MIND diet

The Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay (MIND) diet was developed by Dr. Martha Claire Morris and colleagues at Rush, based on their analysis of food choices and brain health. It is based on the well-known Mediterranean eating plan, as well as the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) eating plan. MIND grew out of more than 30 years of data and research analysis, explains the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

The MIND diet shares an emphasis on plant-based foods with the Mediterranean diet. Both eating plans also recommend limiting intake of saturated fat, fried foods, and sugar. Both encourage the use of olive oil, whole grains, beans, seafood, nuts, and seeds. Some specific recommendations in the MIND diet are to:

• Eat leafy greens every day
• Eat berries 2-5 times per week
• Eat at least 5 servings of nuts per week
• East seafood, especially fatty fish, at least once a week

“Research suggests the risk of Alzheimer’s disease may be reduced by as much as 53% when individuals adhere to the MIND diet consistently, and by about 35% when followed moderately well,” states the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Fish: a closer look

Seafood, one of the components of both MIND and Mediterranean diets, has also been studied directly for its association with cognitive health. Recent observational research by Godos et al. found that people consuming the highest amounts of fish had the lowest likelihood of cognitive impairment, Alzheimer’s disease, and/or dementia. Their analysis showed a dose-response relationship, meaning that the more fish a person ate, the lower the risk of any of these cognitive conditions, with risk reduction rates as high as 30%.

Inflammation and dementia

The idea of inflammation has been studied in relation to many chronic illnesses. One line of research described in the course investigates inflammation and dementia. The researchers compared scores on the Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII) with incidence of dementia and found a higher incidence of Alzheimer’s and other dementias in association with higher DII scores.

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics says that “a specific anti-inflammatory diet has yet to be defined” but that “healthful eating patterns can reduce the risk of several chronic diseases”. They suggest that RDNs “can help people lower their risk for chronic diseases that are often associated with low-grade chronic inflammation by adopting healthier eating styles,” such as the Mediterranean eating style.

There is much more to learn about the potential effects of dietary choices on brain health, and research is ongoing. To explore findings about the Mediterranean eating plan, MIND diet, and seafood, see the free continuing education course, Seafood and Brain Health.