Alzheimer’s：Diet ’can stop brain shrinking’ 阿茲海默症：飲食「可停止大腦萎縮」

A diet rich in vitamins and fish may protect the brain from ageing while junk food has the opposite effect, research suggests. Elderly people with high blood levels of vitamins and omega 3 fatty acids had less brain shrinkage and better mental performance, a Neurology study found.
研究顯示，富含維他命與魚類的飲食，或能避免大腦老化，垃圾食物則是有反效果。神經學期刊的研究發現，血液中有大量維他命與omega 3飽和脂肪酸的老人，大腦比較不會縮小，心智表現也較好。
The best current advice is to eat a balanced diet with plenty of fruit and vegetables, not smoke, take regular exercise and keep blood pressure and cholesterol in check.
目前（避免大腦老化）最好的建議是大量蔬果的均衡飲食、不抽菸、規律運動、定期檢查血壓與膽固醇。
The research looked at nutrients in blood, rather than relying on questionnaires to assess a person’s diet. US experts analysed blood samples from 104 healthy people with an average age of 87 who had few known risk factors for Alzheimer’s.
此份研究觀察血液中的營養素，而不是仰賴問卷評估一個人的飲食。美國專家分析104名平均87歲、幾乎沒有阿茲海默症風險因子的健康民眾血液樣本。
They found those who had more vitamin B, C, D and E in their blood performed better in tests of memory and thinking skills. People with high levels of omega 3 fatty acids also had high scores. The poorest scores were found in people who had more trans fats in their blood. Trans fats are common in processed foods, including cakes, biscuits and fried foods.
他們發現，血液中有較多維他命B、C、D、E者，記憶力與思考技巧測驗表現較好，omega 3脂肪酸較多者分數也高，分數最低的是血液中有較多反式脂肪的人。反式脂肪常見於加工食物，包括蛋糕、餅乾與油炸食品。
The researchers then carried out brain scans on 42 of the participants. They found individuals with high levels of vitamins and omega 3 in their blood were more likely to have a large brain volume; while those with high levels of trans fat had a smaller total brain volume.
研究人員接著對42名參與者進行大腦掃描，他們發現，血液中富含維他命與omega 3者，大腦容量可能比較大，反式脂肪多的人，大腦容量較小。