Plant .

 

Researchers looked at nearly 850 people over age 65 living in two different regions in France. In addition to tracking their diet over a 12-year period, participants regularly underwent five different types of neuropsychological tests to detect signs of cognitive decline.)

Participants who ate more polyphenol-packed foods and those with certain metabolites showed significantly lower risk of cognitive impairment and dementia as they aged. These include apples, blueberries, cocoa, coffee, green tea, mushrooms, oranges, pomegranates, and red wine.

"The takeaway from the study is that a higher intake of fruits, vegetables, and other plant-based foods provides polyphenols and other bioactive compounds that could help reduce risk of cognitive decline related to aging," says study lead Cristina Andrés-Lacueva, Ph.D., from the Nutrition and Food Science Department at the University of Barcelona in Spain.

Not only do these foods seem to be protective on their own, but they may also work in concert together to boost brain health, she adds. That's particularly true if they push out less-healthy dietary choices like artificial sweeteners, which proved to have a negative impact on cognitive impairment in the study.