Last week, I wrote about the fact that, as many, perhaps even most, people age, their ability to recall names and other facts declines. Often the information is still sitting there in their brain, but for some reason, it is far more difficult to recall than it was when they were younger. Now I sometimes must go through a string of associations before I can call up a name that I used to be able to access directly.

In last week’s article, I listed several conditions that seem to worsen as people age, including:

• Impaired protein synthesis
• Metabolic problems
• Inflammation
• Misdirected immune response

One thing I didn’t mention is diet. Does the food we eat affect our ability to think? Some researchers at Iowa State University decided to research that question. They used the massive UK Biobank database, which contains detailed health records of over 500,000 residents of the United Kingdom. Of all those people, they selected for their study, an ethnically diverse sample, consisting of 1,787 people between the ages of 46 and 77. The Biobank database contained extensive information about the subjects, including physical data, as well as questionnaires that probed for lifestyle factors, including how often each of 45 different foods were consumed. The participants were also tested for fluid intelligence. Fluid intelligence is abstract problem solving without prior knowledge. This is distinct from memory. The participants were tested on their ability to solve problems without first knowing the correct answer.

Participants were tested on three occasions across a ten-year span to monitor their cognitive trajectory. How rapidly their fluid intelligence was declining (if it was declining at all), was then correlated with their diet, as reported on the questionnaires that they completed upon entering the study and at the follow-up appointments along the way. The results were somewhat surprising, at least to me.

• Of all the 45 foods that people were asked about, cheese stood out as being the most protective against age-related cognitive decline. Daily cheese consumption was strongly corelated with better fluid intelligence scores.
• Daily consumption of alcohol was also beneficial, particularly if the alcohol was consumed in the form of red wine.
• Weekly consumption of lamb also had a positive effect on fluid intelligence, but other red meats did not.
• Salt appeared to have a negative effect on fluid intelligence, but only for people with a family history of Alzheimer’s disease or people who had the APOE4 allele in their DNA. In other words, people who are already at risk of cognitive decline due to genetic risk factors, could potentially be pushed into cognitive decline by excess salt consumption.

Take these findings with a “grain of salt.” The data shows correlations, but it does not say anything about causation. That will require further study.

• Does cheese consumption protect against diminished fluid intelligence?
• Does red wine consumption protect against diminished fluid intelligence?
• Does weekly lamb consumption protect against diminished fluid intelligence?
• Does excess salt consumption contribute to diminished fluid intelligence?

We don’t know, but evidence points to the possibility. As the old saying goes, “More research is needed.” What you choose to do with this information is up to you, but it will affect what I choose to do:

• I will feel better about the extra sharp cheddar cheese that I consume every day.
• If I am offered a single glass of red wine, I will not necessarily turn it down.
• I will continue to avoid eating lamb. Baby lambs are too cute.
• I will continue to avoid salted chips and snacks. I didn’t like them very much anyway.

BIO:

Allen G. Taylor is a 40-year veteran of the computer industry and the author of over 40 books, including Develop Microsoft HoloLens Apps Now, Get Fit with Apple Watch, Cruise for Free, SQL For Dummies, 9th Edition, Crystal Reports 2008 For Dummies, Database Development For Dummies, Access Power Programming with VBA, and SQL All-In-One For Dummies, Third Edition. He lectures internationally on astronomy, databases, innovation, and entrepreneurship. He also teaches database development and Crystal Reports through a leading online education provider. For the latest news on Allen’s activities, check out his blog at wwwallengtaylor.com or contact him at allen.taylor@ieee.org.