A diet low in red meat and dairy food and high in omega-3 fatty acids found in fish can help preserve memory and thinking abilities, according the results of a US study published in the Daily Mail today.
Scientists in the U.S. studied the diets of 17,478 people with an average age of 64.
Participants were given tests that measured mental ability over an average of four years.
During the course of the study, seven per cent developed memory and thinking deficits.
The study found people who more closely followed a diet high in omega-3 fatty acids and low in red meat and dairy had a 19 per cent reduced risk of mental impairment.
Omega-3 fatty acids are found in oily fish, flax seed, walnuts and pulses (beans), which are known to benefit the brain and nervous system.
The findings are published in the latest issue of the journal Neurology.
