Researchers from the University of Georgia, Athens, in the US claim to have found a way to reboot your brain. And featuring in this sci-fi type morsel of information are veggies! According to researchers, the compounds that give plants and vegetables their colours—carotenoids—can boost brain functioning in silvers. They used fMRI or ‘functional MRI’ to measure the brain activity of 40 participants aged between 65 and 86 while the latter recalled word pairing that they were taught earlier. They found that individuals with higher levels of the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin did not require much brain activity to complete the task. In other words, their brains were more efficient. The researchers, whose results were published in the Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, are now planning to study if changing diets can boost cognitive function. Wait! We’re getting an incoming message: Ensure you get enough carrots, spinach, mangoes and apricots in your diet!

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Featured in Harmony — Celebrate Age Magazine
January 2017