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An unexpected trio — green tea, walnuts and a tiny aquatic plant called Mankai — might help keep the brain young, new research suggests.
In an 18-month randomized trial of nearly 300 adults, a plant-heavy “green Mediterranean” diet was linked to lower levels of Galectin-9, a blood protein associated with markers of faster brain aging on MRI, according to a study published in the journal Clinical Nutrition.
Researchers from Harvard University, Ben-Gurion University in Israel and the University of Leipzig in Germany looked at blood proteins and compared them with MRI scans that estimated participants’ “brain age.”
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Those who followed the green Mediterranean diet, which was rich in plants and lower in red and processed meat, showed the biggest drop in Galectin-9, a protein tied to faster brain aging — and the MRI scans suggested a “younger” brain compared to their actual age.
“Reducing Galectin-9 may mean dampening the inflammatory processes that contribute to cognitive decline, memory loss and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s,” senior study author Iris Shai, an adjunct professor of nutrition at Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health, told Fox News Digital.
“It’s an early sign that nutrition can influence brain biology at the molecular level, offering a non-pharmacological path to protect cognitive function as we age.”
Shai said researchers “wanted to test whether an enhanced, more plant-forward Mediterranean diet, richer in natural polyphenols and lower in red and processed meat, could actually slow the biological aging of the brain.”
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The green Mediterranean diet included more polyphenols, plant compounds that help fight inflammation and protect cells and are found in foods such as nuts, olive oil, red wine, tea, fruits and vegetables.
A second group of participants followed a traditional Mediterranean diet rich in vegetables with red meat replaced by poultry and fish, while another followed standard healthy eating guidelines.
Shai said green tea’s EGCG antioxidant compounds, along with the healthy fats and polyphenols in walnuts, likely drove the change, with Mankai adding support through gut–brain and metabolic pathways.
While Mankai is harder to find, green tea and walnuts showed the strongest benefits, suggesting most people could gain comparable benefits by focusing on just those, even without specialty ingredients.
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Mankai caught the researchers’ attention because it packs an unusually dense nutritional profile. It’s a complete plant-based protein and contains easily absorbed vitamin B12 and iron.
Previous studies by the same team have linked Mankai to better blood sugar control, improved metabolism and gut health and reduced inflammation, all factors that can influence brain and cognitive function.
“It is plausible that green tea and Mankai could reduce markers linked to neurodegeneration, but we still need more human trials that measure actual cognitive outcomes.”
“When we designed the green Med diet, we deliberately sought a new kind of green — something unfamiliar to the Western gut microbiome,” Shai said. “Introducing this novel plant, originally from the Far East, likely triggered a stronger microbial and metabolic response than we initially expected.”
The findings come from the 18-month DIRECT PLUS trial, one of the longest-running studies on diet and brain health.
Most participants were men with obesity or cholesterol issues, so more research is needed to see if the results apply to women and healthier populations. Still, the data add to growing evidence that eating more plants and less red and processed meat may help slow brain aging.
The researchers hope future blood tests could use proteins like Galectin-9 to flag early brain risks.
They caution, however, that the findings are also preliminary and don’t prove the diet prevents Alzheimer’s or cognitive decline.
“Based on this study, it is plausible that green tea and Mankai could reduce markers linked to neurodegeneration, but we still need more human trials that measure actual cognitive outcomes,” said Jenny Finke, a Connecticut-based metabolic health dietitian and owner of The Metabolic Dietitian. She was not involved in the new study.
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“Green tea provides antioxidants and walnuts offer healthy fats, including omega-3 fatty acids — both of which can be incorporated into a mid-morning snack or an afternoon pick-me-up to support metabolic health and enjoy anti-inflammatory benefits,” Finke told Fox News Digital.
She also recommended keeping red meat consumption to no more than two times per week.
“While these adjustments won’t completely change the brain in one week, over time, they can support overall brain health as part of a balanced diet,” she added.
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