Want to be smart? Eat like a Spaniard

Colour your life healthy and smart with a Mediterranean diet.

For all the claims of how beneficial the Mediterranean diet is to the human body, the claim that it can actually make you smarter seems pretty, well, out there.

However, a new study has suggested that eating lots of fresh fruit, vegetables, fish and olive oil could actually prevent the brain from shrinking as you age, thereby warding off cognitive decline that can strike many people as they enter old age…

According to the University of Edinburgh, the brain shrinks as we age, shedding brain cells along the way that – for some – can eventually lead to difficulties in retaining memory and learning new things.

So far, so normal. This is relatively well known in medical circles. But the study carried out by Dr. Michelle Luciano has found that the Mediterranean diet has a positive impact on brain health, and may be able to provide long-term protection to the brain.

Scientists at the University gathered the dietary information of 401 people aged 70, and then scanned their brains at two later dates – when they reached 73, and again at 76. The scientists were measuring brain volume and the thickness of the cerebral cortex.

And what did they find? Those whose diets contained more oily fish, vegetables, nuts and fruits retained more volume in their brain over those six years.

Dr Clare Walton, Research Manager at the Alzheimer’s Society, said: “There is an increasing amount of evidence to indicate that eating a healthy diet that’s rich in oily fish, fresh veg and nuts is good for your brain and can help to maintain your memory as you get older.

“Our brains shrink by 1-2% per year in old age and this study suggests that a Mediterranean-style diet could also potentially help to slow down this shrinking process.”

So there you have it: if you want to live a longer, healthier and smarter life, get yourself to Spain, and get eating!