1. All those flavonoids that help prevent cancer also act as potent antioxidants that slow
the effects of aging on the brain. Researchers have found that spinach helps protect the
brain from free radical damage and slow age-related declines in brain power. Feeding
spinach to aging laboratory animals significantly improved their learning capacity and
their motor skills.
Diets rich in spinach, as well as spirulina and blueberries have been shown to reduce
neurodegenerative changes in aged animals. To study whether these diets have
neuroprotective ability when blood supply to the brain is limited, animals were fed one

2. of the three dietary components and studied for the effects. Animals receiving each of
the supplements had significant reductions in the volume of infarction in the cerebral
cortex and an increase in post-stroke locomotor activity. (Experimental Neurology, May,
2005)
The Chicago Health and Aging Project, reported by World's Healthiest Foods, suggested
that eating just three servings of green leafy, yellow, and cruciferous vegetables each
day could slow down cognitive decline by 40%. This equates to about five years of
younger age, according to researchers at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.
This cohort study used 3,718 participants. Their mental functions were assessed on
several tests at the beginning of the study, after three years, and again after six years.
Researchers found that consuming an average of 2.8 servings of vegetables each day
was what it took to produce the 40% decrease in cognitive decline. Of the different type
of vegetables, green leafy ones such as spinach had the strongest association. There was
no relationship found between fruit consumption and cognitive decline, perhaps
because vegetables contain high amounts of vitamin E. Since they are often eaten with
fats such as olive oil or dressing, the body's ability to absorb fat soluble vitamin E is
increased.