That’s right, folks. Veggies like spinach, kale, collard and mustard greens could help slow cognitive decline. Dementia. You don’t have to go down like your grandparents in nursing homes. No kidding. Researchers say that foods rich in vitamin K, lutein and beta-carotene can help the brain maintain healthy functioning. These include the brightly colored fruits and vegetables available in your grocery store.
Dementia Defined
So that’s one down, three more surprising remedies to go. But first, let's define dementia and its causes.
“Dementia” is a general term for a decline in mental ability severe enough to cause disruption in daily activities. It describes a range of symptoms associated with a disruption in memory and other thinking, or cognitive, skills.
Two of the following core mental functioning criteria must be significantly impaired to be considered dementia: memory, reasoning and judgment, visual perception, communication and language, and the ability to focus attention. Dementia is progressive; it usually gets worse over time.
With 60 to 80 percent of dementia patients diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), it is the most common form of dementia. First described in 1906 by Dr. Alois Alzheimer, 5.5 million Americans live with this disease. Worldwide, that number is 35.6 million. The majority of sufferers are women. In the U.S., Alzheimer’s is the sixth-leading cause of death with about 500,000 fatalities annually.