Eat more carbs for healthy brain – study

CONSUMING less protein and more carbohydrates could be the key to long life and healthy brain ageing, a new study suggests.

Scientists at the University of Sydney in Australia came to the conclusion after conducting diet experiments on mice.

The animals were allowed to eat as much as they liked, as long as the food was low in protein and high in carbohydrates.

As a result their performance in learning and memory tests saw modest improvements. Both young and old mice of both sexes experienced the benefits.

Other work from the same university has indicated low protein, high carb diets can also promote long life by improving heart and digestive health.

Some human populations renowned for their healthy ageing have long observed the same kind of dietary pattern, according to the team’s senior author Professor David Le Couteur.

They include the people of Okinawa in Japan and many Mediterranean communities.

Prof Le Couteur, professor of Geriatric Medicine at the University of Sydney, said: “The traditional diet of Okinawa is around nine per cent protein, which is similar to our study, with sources including lean fish, soy and plants, with very little beef.”

The findings are published in the journal Cell Reports.