UTS researchers have uncovered strong links between the consumption of certain food groups and memory loss.
A healthy diet at any age is essential to living well. However, should we change our dietary habits as we age?
UTS Research Fellow and Heart Foundation Postdoctoral Research Fellowship recipient, Dr Luna Xu, conducted a longitudinal study of the correlation between food groups, memory loss and its comorbidities among older Australians.
She found that high consumption of fruit and vegetables was linked to lowered odds of memory loss and its comorbid heart disease, while high consumption of protein-rich foods was also significantly associated with a better memory.
Further, Dr Xu found that people aged 80 years and over who consumed low amounts of cereals are at the highest risk of memory loss and its comorbid heart disease than people in other age groups.
The results of this study suggest the need for age-specific healthy dietary guidelines.
“There is a need to develop age-specific health dietary guidelines in order to prevent memory loss and its comorbidities amongst older populations,” Dr Xu says.
Read the full story on UTS News: Memory games: Eating well to remember