Saturated fat needs a better publicist. Already seen as
the villain for its role in “bad” cholesterol, now it is taking a beating for a
suspected link to accelerating brain aging. And once again, those wonderful monounsaturated
fats get all the glory for slowing brain aging.
Researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital studied more than 6,000 women over 65 for a period of five years. Their results were recently
published in the Annals of Neurology. The study attempted to related the type of fat intake to brain aging, using self-reported diet information and
cognitive function tests.
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| The Good Fats |
Some types of fat didn’t seem to affect the rate of brain
aging at all. Total fat intake seemed harmless, as did eating polyunsaturated fats.
Even the dreaded trans fats seemed to have no effect on how quickly the brain
aged.
Women who ate a lot of saturated fat (red meat, cheese, most fried foods) had brains that functioned
5 or 6 years older than their actual age, based on the cognitive function
tests. Women who ate a lot of monounsaturated fat (think olive oil and
avocados) had brains that functioned 6 or 7 years younger than their actual
age.
This research merely observed a correlation between fat
intake and brain age. There was no attempt to put women into balanced groups
with specific dietary instructions. There were other differences between the
women in the study, such as tobacco and alcohol use, overall health, and other
dietary differences. It may turn out that people who eat monounsaturated fats
also eat something else that is actually responsible for slowing brain aging.
The researchers were quick to point out that more study is warranted.
So what can you do to keep your brain young? It does seem
that saturated fats are bad for your brain, just as they are bad for your heart,
lungs and other organs. Monounsaturated fats are good for your brain, and the
rest of your body.
The study seems to indicate that a small change in eating
habits can pay big dividends in brain age. A 5% shift in fats calories from
saturated fat to monounsaturated fat appears to deliver a 50% improvement in
brain aging. Seems like a good time for a big bowl of guacamole!
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