Kale and the Prevention of Cognitive Decline

"Leslie Beck's Longevity Diet" is full of information with respect to the power of food to slow down the aging process. One of the so-called power foods she mentions is kale. After outlining numerous other health benefits like vision preservation and anti-cancer properties, Ms. Beck zeroes in on kale's ability to slow the rate of cognitive decline.

Among other things, kale contains a fair amount of vitamin E and manganese. Vitamin E is thought to shield brain cell membranes from free radical damage. The brain is especially vulnerable to free radical damage due to its high demand for oxygen, its great number of easily oxidized cell membranes and its somewhat weak antioxidant defences. Manganese is a trace mineral that is a crucial component of superoxide dismultase, an enzyme which acts as an antioxidant. "Superoxide dismultase is found exclusively inside the mitochondria, or energy factory, of body cells, where it protects against damage from free radicals formed during energy production." (1)

Kale is best ingested in cooked form in order to ensure that the oxalates present in the kale can be weakened in their capacity to interfere with the absorption of calcium which is also present. Try it steamed, in soups, and in stir-fries.

D.

(1) Beck, Leslie and Gelok, Michelle, "Leslie Beck's Longevity Diet", Penguin Group (Canada), Toronto, 2011, p. 84.)