Study: Vegetable-Derived Compound May Counter Cognitive Aging

A recent study led by University of Illinois researchers found that middle-aged adults with higher levels of lutein — a nutrient found in green leafy vegetables such as spinach and kale, as well as avocados and eggs — had neural responses that were more on par with younger individuals than with their peers.

According to Walk et al, lutein -- an active compound found in green leafy vegetables -- may counter cognitive aging.

According to Walk et al, lutein — an active compound found in green leafy vegetables — may counter cognitive aging.

Lutein is a nutrient that the body can’t make on its own, so it must be acquired through diet.

This compound accumulates in brain tissues, but also accumulates in the eye, which allows researchers to measure levels without relying on invasive techniques.

“Lutein is a naturally occurring carotenoid found in abundance in richly colored fruits and vegetables (e.g., spinach and kale),” said senior author Naiman Khan, a professor of kinesiology and community health at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and colleagues.

“This pigment cannot be synthesized de novo, and thus must be obtained from the diet.”

“Since it can also be directly and non-invasively measured in central nervous system tissue (the retina), and its levels correlate strongly with dietary intake, serum levels, and brain concentrations, it provides a powerful biomarker and means of testing how diet might influence the brain.”

Most other studies have focused on older adults, after there has already been a period of decline.

Professor Khan and co-authors chose to focus on young to middle-aged adults to see whether there was a notable difference between those with higher and lower lutein levels.

“As people get older, they experience typical decline,” said Dr. Anne Walk, a postdoctoral scholar at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

“However, research has shown that this process can start earlier than expected. You can even start to see some differences in the 30s.”

“We want to understand how diet impacts cognition throughout the lifespan. If lutein can protect against decline, we should encourage people to consume lutein-rich foods at a point in their lives when it has maximum benefit.”

The study involved 60 adult participants, aged 25 to 45, living in the Eastern-Central Illinois region.

The scientists measured lutein in the participants’ eyes by having their look into a scope and respond to a flickering light.

Then, using electrodes on the scalp, the authors measured neural activity in the brain while the participants performed a task that tested attention.

“The neuro-electrical signature of older participants with higher levels of lutein looked much more like their younger counterparts than their peers with less lutein,” Dr. Walk said.

“Lutein appears to have some protective role, since the data suggest that those with more lutein were able to engage more cognitive resources to complete the task.”

The study is published in the journal Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience.

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Anne M. Walk et al. The Role of Retinal Carotenoids and Age on Neuroelectric Indices of Attentional Control among Early to Middle-Aged Adults. Front. Aging Neurosci, published online June 9, 2017; doi: 10.3389/fnagi.2017.00183

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