A fish a day could keep Alzheimer's at bay: Study - TODAYonline

NEW YORK - Too much junk food shrinks the brain while a diet high in vitamins and omega-3 fatty acids prevents that shrinkage and helps stave off age-related brain diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, new research has shown.

The study, which was published in the journal Neurology, tracked 104 people in the United States over 12 years. The subjects were all aged 65 and above when the study was launched in 1989.

"The aim was to study the effects of age on dementia risk in people that don't have factors known to increase their risk at the time," said lead investigator Dr Gene Bowman.

The bad news for junk-food junkies is that those with diets high in artery-clogging trans fats were more likely to suffer brain shrinkage and performed poorer on cognitive tests.

Meanwhile, researchers found that people with healthier diets with lots of omega-3 fatty acids and vitamins C, D and E, as well as all the B vitamins, showed less shrinkage of the brain.

"It is very exciting to think that people could potentially stop their brains from shrinking and keep them sharp by adjusting their diet," Dr Bowman said. Agencies