Eating highly processed foods like instant noodles, sugary drinks or frozen meals may be linked to a faster rate of cognitive decline. That's according to new research presented Monday at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference in San Diego.
Consuming unhealthy processed foods like baked goods and soda, which are often loaded with refined and added sugars — often in the form of high-fructose corn syrup — floods the brain with too much glucose.
Here are the top worst offenders: Processed meats & cheeses: Foods like bacon, ham, and meats from the deli counter contain nitrosamines. Nitrates cause increased fats in the liver, which can be toxic for the brain. Excessive consumption of processed meats can also increase the risk of dementia.
What are the foods that fight memory loss? Berries, fish, and leafy green vegetables are 3 of the best foods that fight memory loss. There's a mountain of evidence showing they support and protect brain health.
The takeaway: Your individual IQ will not change as you age, but on average our intelligence does decrease with age.
Rapidly progressive cognitive decline is commonly seen in a wide spectrum of conditions varying from vascular, immune mediated, toxic, infective, metabolic, neoplastic, degenerative, drug related, as well as nutritional and degenerative conditions.
Childhood diet
For our children and grandchildren, diets high in processed foods, sugar, and fat have been linked to lower IQ scores. Children who more regularly ate fish, vegetables, and healthy carbohydrates had higher IQ scores.
1. Fatty fish. When people talk about brain foods, fatty fish is often at the top of the list. This type of fish includes salmon, trout, albacore tuna, herring, and sardines, all of which are rich sources of omega-3 fatty acids ( 1 ).
Certain fruits such as oranges, bell peppers, guava, kiwi, tomatoes, and strawberries, contain high amounts of vitamin C. Vitamin C helps prevent brain cells from becoming damaged and supports overall brain health. In fact, a study found that vitamin C can potentially prevent Alzheimer's.
Eating a banana will give your brain the healthy, natural, low GI sugar that it needs during exam time. Plus bananas also make you happy, literally! Bananas contain high levels of tryptophan, an amino acid, which is converted into serotonin in your body.
B vitamins like B6, B12, and B9 (folic acid) all play a role in brain health.
Here are just a few key ways coffee can support the brain: Caffeine increases serotonin and acetylcholine, which may stimulate the brain and help stabilize the blood-brain barrier. The polyphenol micronutrients in coffee may prevent tissue damage by free radicals, as well as brain blood vessel blockage.
Eggs offer a host of healthy nutrients. As far as brain health goes, egg yolks are a good source of choline, which is associated with reducing inflammation and promoting brain function, like maintaining memory and communications between brain cells.
Memory and other thinking problems have many possible causes, including depression, an infection, or medication side effects. Sometimes, the problem can be treated, and cognition improves. Other times, the problem is a brain disorder, such as Alzheimer's disease, which cannot be reversed.
It's common knowledge that certain foods foster brain development, health, and memory. Fish almost always makes the list, as do any foods that are loaded with antioxidants like blueberries, nuts, whole grains, green tea, and dark chocolate.
In addition to slowing down physically, most people lose points on intelligence tests as they enter their golden years. Now, new research suggests the loss of certain types of cognitive skills with age may stem from problems with basic sensory tasks, such as making quick judgments based on visual information.
The neuroscience is clear: aerobic exercise is extremely good for your brain. In fact, working out raises your IQ far more than playing an online brain game. Plus, a Swedish study proved that cardiovascular fitness can actually raise your verbal intelligence by 50%.
Researchers have previously shown that a person's IQ is highly influenced by genetic factors, and have even identified certain genes that play a role. They've also shown that performance in school has genetic factors. But it's been unclear whether the same genes that influence IQ also influence grades and test scores.