跟着大力水手一起吃菠菜讓你年輕11歲

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強肌肉，不過有一點他可能沒注意到——就是他的記憶力也增強了。

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 reason? Vitamin K.
根據一項新的研究，每天吃菠菜——或者其他綠葉蔬菜，這樣——會減慢年齡相關的認知能力減退。是什麼原因呢？維他命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.
芝加哥拉什大學的一組研究人員分析了954位老年人的飲食規律和心智機能，研究爲期5年。研究發現那些平日多吃綠色蔬菜的人頭腦會更敏捷一些。

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.
參與實驗的人平均年齡爲81歲，研究人員追蹤其飲食長達5年的時間。他們發現那些每天或者每隔一天吃綠葉蔬菜的人，其認知能力與比自己年輕11歲但不吃綠葉蔬菜的人相當。

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，像甘藍、甘藍葉、芥菜這些綠色蔬菜也能減緩人腦的衰退。之前的研究發現葉酸和β-葫蘿蔔素都是大腦助推器，但是這項研究是第一次評估出維他命K對大腦的益處。

“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.
瑪莎·克萊爾·莫里斯（拉什大學醫學中心的社區研究助理教務長兼研究團隊隊長）說：“在這之前沒有其他的研究表明維他命K同認知能力的改變有關聯，只是有少量的研究發現它同葉黃素有關。”整個團隊相信其他的食物在這些營養方面也會有較高的含量，像萵筍、抱子甘藍和胡蘿蔔可以起到同深綠色食物一樣的功效，他們決定擴大他們的研究範圍儘可能地去發現。

The research holds promise for a brain booster that is accessible and affordable.
該研究提供了一種可行、並且人們買得起的大腦助推器。

The study was presented at the Experimental Biology meeting on March 30.
這項研究在3月30號在“實驗生物學會議”上發表。