跟着大力水手一起吃菠菜让你年轻11岁

While Popeye ate spinach everyday to maintain strong muscles, he was also bettering his memory, maybe without even knowing it.

大力水手每天吃菠菜增强肌肉，不过有一点他可能没注意到——就是他的记忆力也增强了。

Consuming just a daily serving of spinach -- or any type of leafy green, for that matter -- may help slow the process of age-associated cognitive decline, according to a new study.The reason? Vitamin K.

根据一项新的研究，每天吃菠菜——或者其他绿叶蔬菜，这样——会减慢年龄相关的认知能力减退。是什么原因呢？维他命K。

A group of researchers at Rush University in Chicago who analyzed the diets and mental functions of 954 elderly people over a five year period found that those who incorporated more green in their diets were more likely to be mentally sharp.

芝加哥拉什大学的一组研究人员分析了954位老年人的饮食规律和心智机能，研究为期5年。研究发现那些平日多吃绿色蔬菜的人头脑会更敏捷一些。

The researchers tracked the diets of participants, whose age averaged 81, for an average of five years. They found that people who ate one or two daily portions of green leafy vegetables had the same cognitive abilities as someone 11 years younger who never consumed leafy greens.

参与实验的人平均年龄为81岁，研究人员追踪其饮食长达5年的时间。他们发现那些每天或者每隔一天吃绿叶蔬菜的人，其认知能力与比自己年轻11岁但不吃绿叶蔬菜的人相当。

Beyond spinach, vegetables like kale, collards and mustard greens could also be effective in slowing down the brain's aging process. Previous studies have found that both folate and beta-carotene are brain boosters, but this study is the first to evaluate the benefits vitamin K has on the brain.

除了菠菜，像甘蓝、甘蓝叶、芥菜这些绿色蔬菜也能减缓人脑的衰退。之前的研究发现叶酸和β-葫萝卜素都是大脑助推器，但是这项研究是第一次评估出维他命K对大脑的益处。

“No other studies have looked at vitamin K in relation to change in cognitive abilities over time, and only a limited number of studies have found some association with lutein," said Martha Clare Morris, Sc.D., assistant provost for community research at Rush University Medical Center and the leader of the study's research team. The team believes that other foods high in these nutrients, like asparagus, brussels sprouts and carrots could provide the same benefits as the darker greens, and they intend to expand their research to explore this possibility.

玛莎·克莱尔·莫里斯（拉什大学医学中心的社区研究助理教务长兼研究团队队长）说：“在这之前没有其他的研究表明维他命K同认知能力的改变有关联，只是有少量的研究发现它同叶黄素有关。”整个团队相信其他的食物在这些营养方面也会有较高的含量，像莴笋、抱子甘蓝和胡萝卜可以起到同深绿色食物一样的功效，他们决定扩大他们的研究范围尽可能地去发现。

The research holds promise for a brain booster that is accessible and affordable.

该研究提供了一种可行、并且人们买得起的大脑助推器。

The study was presented at the Experimental Biology meeting on March 30.

这项研究在3月30号在“实验生物学会议”上发表。