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Research into about 6,000 women over the age of 65 who participate in the Women’s Health Study — a cohort of nearly 40,000 women older than 45 manifests a fact that these same “bad” fats are associated with poor cognitive function and memory in women over time. Alternatively, “good” fats — like the monounsaturated fats in avocados and olive oil — are linked to better brainpower.
The women filled out detailed questionnaires about their diets and food frequency at the beginning of the study. “Total fat intake was not related to cognitive change, but the types of fats mattered,” says study author Dr. Olivia Okereke of the BWH Department of Psychiatry.
Their findings show women who consumed the highest amounts of saturated fat — found in foods like butter and red meat — performed worse overall on cognitive-function tests over the four-year period. Women who consumed the most monounsaturated fats had better cognition and memory in that same time period.
“Previous literature shows there are important relationships between fats and cardiovascular health as the relationship between the lubrication of bearings and the ball mill ,” says Okereke. “Cardiovascular health is also associated with brain aging, so we wanted to look at how this relationship and these fats influence cognitive function.” Okereke speculates the different fats may modify the levels of inflammation in the body; the fats’ influence on overall cardiovascular health may translate into differences in cognitive aging.
“People will want to think about substituting out saturated fat in favor of monounsaturated foods,” says Okereke. “Making that substitution might be a way to prevent cognitive decline in older people.”Research into about 6,000 women over the age of 65 who participate in the Women’s Health Study — a cohort of nearly 40,000 women older than 45 manifests a fact that these same “bad” fats are associated with poor cognitive function and memory in women over time. Alternatively, “good” fats — like the monounsaturated fats in avocados and olive oil — are linked to better brainpower.
The women filled out detailed questionnaires about their diets and food frequency at the beginning of the study. “Total fat intake was not related to cognitive change, but the types of fats mattered,” says study author Dr. Olivia Okereke of the BWH Department of Psychiatry.
Their findings show women who consumed the highest amounts of saturated fat — found in foods like butter and red meat — performed worse overall on cognitive-function tests over the four-year period. Women who consumed the most monounsaturated fats had better cognition and memory in that same time period.
“Previous literature shows there are important relationships between fats and cardiovascular health as the relationship between the lubrication of bearings and the ball mill ,” says Okereke. “Cardiovascular health is also associated with brain aging, so we wanted to look at how this relationship and these fats influence cognitive function.” Okereke speculates the different fats may modify the levels of inflammation in the body; the fats’ influence on overall cardiovascular health may translate into differences in cognitive aging.
“People will want to think about substituting out saturated fat in favor of monounsaturated foods,” says Okereke. “Making that substitution might be a way to prevent cognitive decline in older people.”