Nutrition And Late Adulthood Essay

When discussing the effects of nutrition on the brain it is hard to not to discuss late adulthood. Whether it be in terms of general cognitive decline or more severe decline, such as Alzheimer's Disease, there is a plethora of research and literature looking into this relation. Developmentally, older adulthood is associated with cognitive decline. While some functioning, such as some forms of memory, improve later in life, declining executive functioning skills, like attention, are factors in the known general cognitive decline. Specific to attention, these deficits can be attributed to information processing speeds slowing down and weakened input sensitivity. An area seeing attention is the role of omega-3 fatty acids in the development of the late-adulthood brain. Omega-3 fatty acids are an essential fat that the body cannot synthesize itself, requiring humans to obtain it through diet ("Omega-3 Fatty Acids: An Essential Contribution", 2017). This fat is found in foods like fish, vegetable oils, nuts, and leafy greens, and plays an important role in the production and maintenance of cell membranes ("Omega-3 Fatty Acids: An Essential Contribution", 2017). Also, …show more content…
Sifting through all the research is daunting, and it appears that every other day there is a claim that a certain "super food" is the cure for cognitive decline. What the literature can conclusively say is that in some capacity Omega-3 fatty acids appear to play an important role in the development and vitality of brain tissue and membranes, in turn helping sustain proper cognitive functioning throughout life. Likewise, it seems clear that maintaining proper nutrition throughout life, especially early on, allows the brain to develop correctly, protecting against future cognitive