Boil Up This Springtime Vegetable for Better Memory
This Week's Tips
Pureed into soup, boiled, or grilled, this is one spring veggie you can't afford to forget about: artichokes.
Turns out that artichokes are high in luteolin. And a recent study suggests that this power-packed antioxidant may help quiet neuron-damaging inflammation in the memory center of our brains.
Cool Your Head
Over time, chronic inflammation can damage and even kill off brain cells in the hippocampus -- the memory-making part of our brains. And this gradual kill off of brain cells can lead to declines in memory and our ability to learn new things. But in a 4-week mouse study, hippocampal inflammation declined in a group of older, memory-impaired test subjects when they were fed a luteolin-enhanced diet. In fact, memory performance in the luteolin group matched that of much younger mice. (Related: A healthful diet is not the only way to keep your memory intact. Find out how your attitude about aging affects your memory.)
