Did You Know That Eating Salads Can Keep Your Brain 11 Years Younger?

There¡¯s good reason why you were never allowed to leave your dinner table with eating your greens as children. Essential nutrients, fibre and protein aside, salads are also good for your brain, claims a recent study.

The study published in the journal Neurology found that consuming one to two servings of leafy greens enhances your memory as well as cognitive ability.

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People who ate salads the most, including vegetables like spinach, kale, lettuce, were ¡°the equivalent of being 11 years younger in age,¡± stated the researchers.

"Adding a daily serving of green, leafy vegetables to your diet may be a simple way to foster your brain health," said Martha Clare Morris, from the Rush University in Chicago.

"Projections show sharp increases in the percentage of people with dementia as the oldest age groups continue to grow in number, so effective strategies to prevent dementia are critical," Morris added.

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The study involved 960 people with an average age of 81 who did not have dementia and were followed for an average of 4.7 years.

Over 10 years of follow-up, the rate of decline for those who ate the most leafy greens was slower by 0.05 standardised units per year than the rate for those who ate the least leafy greens. This difference was equivalent to being 11 years younger in age.

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The results remained valid after accounting for other factors that could affect brain health such as smoking, high blood pressure, obesity, education level and amount of physical and cognitive activities, the researchers said.