their Black peers whose plant-based diet wasn’t as healthy. Black and white adults in the other two dietary categories showed no slowing of overall cognitive decline.
The impact of diet on perceptual speed and episodic memory was even more dramatic for Black adults. Those who ate the healthiest plant-based diet experienced a 49.3% slower decline in perceptual speed and a 44.2% slower decline in episodic memory than their peers who ate a diet with more animal foods. The findings are considered preliminary until a full study is published in a peer-reviewed journal.
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Why the disparity?
There could be many explanations for the disparity between white and Black adults, Liu says. One reason may be Black adults are at higher risk for cardiovascular problems, which affect cognitive health, so reducing that risk by eating a heart-healthy, plant-based diet may have a more pronounced impact on their brain health than on people whose risk is lower to begin with.
Black people in the United States face those higher cardiovascular risks for a number of reasons, including systemic and societal issues that historically have limited access to care, medication, nutritious foods and other resources that can lower risks.
Liu says the disparity in cognitive decline in the study also could be caused by eating patterns. For example, Black adults ate a lot more whole grains than white adults. She is currently analyzing the impact of specific food groups on participants’ cognitive decline.
Vadiveloo, who co-authored an AHA scientific statement last November offering dietary guidance to improve heart health, hopes findings like this would motivate people to eat a healthier diet. “Sometimes people are motivated by different health conditions differently. Dementia is pretty motivating for adults, maybe even more so than heart disease.”
For those looking to get started on eating healthier, a good plant-based diet consists of eating a wide range of fruits and vegetables along with whole grains, fish and seafood.