Who does not enjoy staying young? Especially when you can do it with just tweaking your diet a little! A recent study published in Nature Publishing Group Aging, reveals that a nutrient-rich diet, similar to the Mediterranean style plays an important role in slowing brain aging.

The study used blood biomarker analysis, brain imaging and cognitive assessments to conclude that specific nutrients like fatty acids, antioxidants, carotenoids, vitamin E, and choline, are essential to support healthy brain function and delay cognitive decline.

How Was The Study Conducted?

This was a cross-sectional study which involved 100 adults between the ages of 65 and 75. The participants were healthy and showed no evidence of cognitive impairment and they underwent several tests, including MRIs, mental tests and blood work. The researchers studied 139 variables of brain health, including brain metabolism, function, and structure.

ALSO READ: Longevity Diets: What to Eat to Live Past 100

Nutrients The Protect The Brain

Fatty Acids: Vaccenic, gondoic, alpha-linolenic, eicosapentaenoic, eicosadienoic, and lignoceric acids, commonly found in plants, dairy, and oily fish, contribute to neuron maintenance.

Antioxidants and Carotenoids: Cis-lutein, trans-lutein, and zeaxanthin are essential for neutralizing free radicals and protecting the brain from oxidative stress.

Vitamin E: This antioxidant helps safeguard brain cells, with research suggesting its role in preventing dementias like Alzheimer's disease.

Choline: A vital nutrient for the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, which is important for memory and attention.

The Science Behind Mediterranean Diet and Brain Health

Experts affirm that these nutrients (mentioned above) are commonly found in the Mediterranean diet and are known for their neuroprotective properties. The Mediterranean diet has positive effects on brain, and there is enough evidence to prove that too. It is because the fatty acids maintain neurons, while the antioxidants combat oxidative stress, which then preserves brain function.

Choline, which is found in egg yolks are also essential for acetylcholine production, which supports cognitive functions such as memory and focus. There are certain nutrients which one can find in egg yolks that reduce oxidative stress and inflammation. Further, they also support cell membrane integrity and improve brain blood flow, which in turn enhances neuroplasticity. These are all crucial for healthy aging.

ALSO READ: What Is The Green Mediterranean Diet?

There are also additional benefits too, for instance, omega-3 fatty acids also reduce heart disease risks, whereas antioxidants like vitamin C and E also boost immune system. The Mediterranean diet in all, also manages arthritis and metabolic syndrome.

Ingredients You Can In Your Diet To Boost Brain Health

Fatty Fish: These include Salmon, mackerel, sardines, and trout are rich in omega-3s.

Leafy Greens: These include spinach, kale, broccoli. These are packed with carotenoids like lutein and zeaxanthin.

Nuts and Seeds: They are rich in alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) and vitamin E. You can include almonds, sunflower seeds, and flaxseeds in your diet.

Eggs and Liver: They are a great source of choline, which can be helpful for brain function.

Colorful vegetables and fruits: Peppers, tomatoes, and oranges are rich in anti-oxidants and vitamin C.

If you're making a smoothie for a health boost, especially for your brain and heart, you might want to leave out bananas. New research suggests that adding a banana to your drink can actually block your body from absorbing key healthy compounds.

Bananas have always been a big favorite for healthy drinks and desserts. You may have seen many healthy smoothie recipes like banana and coffee smoothie, or bananas and berries, being listed along with other healthy food recipes. While it does have many health benefits, how healthy it is with other nutrients involved has been questioned.

Researchers at the University of California-Davis found that bananas interfere with the absorption of powerful nutrients called flavanols. These compounds are fantastic for health, but if you blend them with a banana, you might not get the benefit you're looking for.

Should You Add Bananas In Health Smoothies?

The researchers found that bananas block how well we absorb flavanol. Flavanols are beneficial natural chemicals found in foods like berries, apples, grapes, and cocoa. When you eat enough of them regularly, they are known to help your memory, reduce swelling inside your body, which is called inflammation, and make your blood flow better.

So, why does the banana stop this? The culprit is a specific enzyme, a kind of protein, that is found in high amounts in bananas. It's called polyphenol oxidase (PPO). This is the same enzyme that makes a peeled banana or apple slice turn brown quickly. The researchers found that when PPO mixes with flavanols in the blender, it somehow stops your body from being able to use them. Lead researcher Javier Ottaviani said it was surprising to see how quickly even just one banana dropped the levels of flavanols your body could absorb.

Why Do Bananas Block Nutrients?

The scientists conducted a very clear experiment to figure this out. They had people drink three different things and then measured the flavanols in their bodies, by testing their blood and urine:

The Banana Test

A smoothie made with banana, which is high in the PPO enzyme.

The Berry Test

A smoothie made with mixed berries, which are low in the PPO enzyme.

The Control Test

A plain capsule of pure flavanols, just to see what 100% absorption looked like.

The results were impossible to ignore, the people who drank the banana smoothie had 84% less flavanols show up in their system compared to the people who took the pure flavanol capsule. This clearly proved that the banana was the reason the healthy compounds weren't getting absorbed.

How to Get Your Daily Flavanols?

If you're trying to meet the daily recommendation of flavanols, which is about 400 to 600 milligrams, to help your heart and overall health, you need to be smart about your smoothies.

The main takeaway is to skip the bananas if you're mixing it with high-flavanol foods like berries. If your smoothie already contains ingredients that are low in the PPO enzyme—like berries, pineapple, oranges, mango, or yogurt—then you are maximizing the amount of healthy flavanols your body will actually get. This finding opens the door for more research into how simple acts of cooking or preparing food, like how you brew tea (a major flavanol source), can change the nutrients you absorb.

Intermittent fasting is an eating plan that alternates between periods of eating and fasting on a set schedule. Studies show that intermittent fasting can help manage weight and even reduce the risk of certain diseases. But some people worry whether fasting could harm the brain or lead to cognitive decline.

Researchers addressed this concern in a paper published in Psychological Bulletin, reporting that short-term fasting of less than 24 hours does not appear to affect the mental performance of adults.

What Is Intermittent Fasting?

Intermittent fasting is an eating pattern that involves alternating between times when you don’t eat and times when you do, sometimes with calorie restrictions on specific days.

This practice dates back thousands of years and is woven into several cultural and religious traditions. Scientists began studying it for weight control in the early 1900s, and recent research has expanded to explore its broader health effects.

There are three widely followed types of intermittent fasting, as per Healthline:

• Time-restricted eating: You eat within a fixed time window and fast during the remaining hours. The 16/8 pattern is the most popular, where you eat during an 8-hour window and fast for 16 hours (including sleep). Other variations include 14/10 and 20/4.
• Alternate-day fasting: You rotate between normal eating days and fasting days, when you consume very few calories, around 500 on average. Some prefer spreading this limited intake across the day, while others eat one small meal.
• 5:2 fasting: Instead of alternating daily, this plan limits calorie intake to 500–800 calories on two chosen days each week, while the rest of the week follows a regular eating routine.

Intermittent Fasting and Brain Health: How Are They Related?

Only recently have scientists started exploring how intermittent fasting influences the brain. Early findings suggest it might offer certain cognitive benefits as we age and even help reduce symptoms of anxiety or depression.

“Many people assume fasting will make it hard to focus or perform well at work or school,” said David Moreau, PhD, a neuroscientist at the University of Auckland and senior author of the study. “Our findings show that for most healthy adults, short-term fasting doesn’t significantly impact mental sharpness.”

The research did note that children and teenagers experienced slight declines in attention and memory while fasting, emphasizing the need for a balanced breakfast before school. Adults, meanwhile, tended to perform a little worse later in the day while fasting, possibly because hunger can heighten natural dips in alertness due to circadian rhythm.

“Humans evolved with periods of limited food, so it makes sense our brains can function well without constant eating,” Dr. Moreau added. “Still, younger people seem more affected, which aligns with their higher energy demands.”

Intermittent Fasting Unlikely to Cause Cognitive Decline

According to recent studies, as per Healthline, intermittent fasting is unlikely to cause cognitive decline. Experts who reviewed the findings say it reinforces the safety and benefits of fasting. “The key takeaway is that fasting doesn’t harm mental performance,” said Dr. Mir Ali, bariatric surgeon and medical director at the MemorialCare Surgical Weight Loss Center, California.

The meta-analysis reviewed 63 studies across the world, including over 3,400 participants. Most individuals fasted between 8 and 24 hours, with a median duration of 12 hours.

Researchers concluded that fasting “neither enhances nor impairs mental performance.” They identified three main factors that influence cognitive function:

• Fasting duration
• Type and timing of the cognitive test
• Individual characteristics, such as age or body composition

They also noted that glycogen—the body’s stored form of glucose provides energy during normal eating. When glycogen levels fall during fasting, the body shifts to using ketones derived from fat as an alternate energy source.

How To Practise Intermittent Fasting?

Intermittent fasting is not suitable for everyone, particularly those with a history of eating disorders or women who are pregnant or breastfeeding. However, for most healthy adults, it offers flexibility in timing and approach.

During fasting hours, you can still drink water, black coffee, or unsweetened tea. Light exercise is also permitted. Healthline advises focusing on nutrient-rich meals during eating periods, staying hydrated, and maintaining good sleep habits.

For beginners, it’s best to start slowly, perhaps by fasting for 6 to 8 hours at first, then gradually extending to 8–10 hours, and eventually to the more balanced 12–14-hour fasting window.

Coffee is almost everyone's favorite, whether it is to get you up and moving in the mornings, especially when the winter comes in, or to ensure your productivity is at best, or for when you hit the gym. And, if you are wondering to drink it or not with heart disease, the good news is, you can! A new study published in JAMA Network says so.

Traditionally, coffee has been associated with being a troublemaker, however, this thing could soon be put in past, as scientists are now asking people to drink coffee, because it might actually be good for their heart.

In a first-of-its-kind clinical trial, researchers found that a daily cup of caffeinated coffee could actually protect the heart.

What Was The Study?

The study is led by researchers from UC San Francisco and the University of Adelaide. The study noted that drinking coffee every day may reduce the risk of Atrial fibrillation or A-Fib. Published in JAMA Network, the study said that coffee worked best against the condition, which is an irregular and often rapid heart rhythm that causes symptoms like palpitations, fatigue, and breathlessness. All of these could significantly increase the risk of stroke and heart failure.

It is caused by chaotic electrical signals in the upper chambers of the heart – known as atria, which leads to ineffective blood pumping and can cause blood clots to form.

Till now, those with A-Fib were advised not to drink caffeine out of fear that it may trigger symptoms. However, this trial – named DECAF - concluded that drinking a cup of caffeinated coffee a day reduced the deadly condition by 39%.

What Are The Experts Saying?

As per the researchers, and other scientists, coffee increases physical activity and reduces atrial fibrillation. Since caffeine is a diuretic, it potentially reduces blood pressure and, in turn, lowers the risk of A-Fib.

“There are many other ingredients in coffee that also have anti-inflammatory properties with positive effects,” said senior author Dr Gregory M. Marcus, who holds the Endowed Professorship in Atrial Fibrillation Research and is an electrophysiologist at UCSF Health.

How Was The Study Conducted?

Researchers wanted to understand how coffee affects people with A-Fib, so they enrolled 200 coffee drinkers who had persistent atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter. All of them were already scheduled for electrical cardioversion, a procedure that uses a controlled electric shock to reset the heart’s rhythm.

Participants were randomly split into two groups. One group had to drink at least one cup of caffeinated coffee or an espresso shot every day. The other group had to avoid all coffee and caffeine for six months. By the end of the study, the coffee group had a 39 percent lower risk of A-Fib coming back. They also showed signs of reduced inflammation.

The researchers suggested that coffee might help simply because it replaces less healthy drinks. “The results were astounding. Doctors have long told patients with A-Fib to cut back on coffee, but this trial suggests coffee is not only safe but may actually protect the heart,” said lead author Dr Christopher X. Wong of UCSF and the University of Adelaide and Royal Adelaide Hospital.