(Natural News) A new study showed that while green leafy vegetables such as spinachand kale are a staple food of people who are looking to stay fit, they can also be used by people who are looking to retain their brain power. According to the study that was published in Frontiers in Aging Neuroscienceand was conducted by researchers at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, this was because these vegetables contained lutein, a carotenoid that, along with zeaxanthin, is usually associated with vision health.

Lutein cannot be manufactured by the body alone, and so must be obtained via diet.

“Since lutein can be directly and non-invasively measured in central nervous system tissue (the retina), and its levels correlate strongly with dietary intake, serum levels, and brain concentrations, it provides a powerful biomarker and means of testing how diet might influence the brain,” Dr. Naiman Khan, professor of kinesiology and community health at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana said.

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