Eat Your Veggies

Eat Your Veggies

Vegetables may help slow cognitive decline. There’s just one catch: You have to actually eat them.

Surveys show that most Americans don’t consume the recommended intake of five servings of vegetables each day. But with a little extra effort to hit near that five-a-day mark, you may help slow cognitive decline.

Researchers at the Chicago Health and Aging Project collected dietary intake data from more than 3,700 subjects. Four different tests were used to assess cognitive health. The tests were administered at the beginning of the study, again three years later, and again at six years.

Results showed that eating nearly three servings of vegetables every day decreased the rate of cognitive decline by 40 percent, compared to people who only ate a single serving each day. Intake of green leafy vegetables was most strongly associated with this benefit, probably due to the higher vitamin E content.