A traditional Japanese diet may benefit women’s brain health, research suggests

TOKYO, April 17 ― Research suggests that a diet of traditional Japanese foods like green tea, seaweed and fish may help prevent brain shrinkage with age, a common marker of cognitive decline and Madness. However, the study reports that this beneficial effect was only observed in women!

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It’s no secret that Japan – and in particular Okinawa, located in the south of the country, not far from Taiwan – is known for its centenarians. In fact, the idyllic Japanese archipelago is home to a large number of elderly people who have passed the 100-year mark. In addition to their state of mind and active lifestyle, as detailed by Japan Airlines, their diet would also contribute to their longevity. Vegetables of all kinds, but also rice, fish and seaweed are on the menu of these famous centenarians. But they are not the only ones in Japan to follow this type of traditional diet.

And that’s a good thing, because research suggests these eating habits could help prevent age-related brain shrinkage, especially in women. In older adults, this type of brain shrinkage can lead to cognitive decline and dementia. “Adherence to healthy dietary habits, with higher consumption of whole grains, seafood, vegetables, fruits, mushrooms, soy products and green tea, potentially confers a protective effect against brain atrophy in middle-aged and older Japanese women, but not in men,” concludes the research, published in the Nutrition Journal.

A total of 1,636 Japanese adults aged 40 to 89 participated in the research, supported by the Japanese National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology and the University of Liverpool in the United Kingdom. The participants’ diet was monitored for two years, making it possible to determine three main types of diet: the Western diet; a diet based mainly on vegetables, fruits and dairy products; and finally the traditional Japanese diet. The study results suggest that the secret to good cognitive health in women may lie in consuming green tea, mushrooms, miso (fermented soybean paste), and other typically Japanese foods. In fact, women who followed the traditional Japanese diet had less brain shrinkage than those who followed a Western diet. It was not the same for men. -ETX Studio