Health Scoop News – New research on 1-Eat these foods for healthy aging 👩‍🦳, 2-Sulforaphane for the brain 🥦🧠, & 3-Magnesium for metabolism ⚡︎⫏⫐

I always have my nose in new health research, so I’m sharing some of the most relevant studies with you in regular editions of “Health Scoop News.”

[This news summary is a bit reminiscent of my old “This week in science for holistic health” newsletters that I used to do circa 2016 (I deleted most, but here’s one post I kept live), as well as the rEATsearch podcast I used to co-host.]

Below are my top three study picks (comment below to tell me what health topics/niches are best for you!). All of these recent studies were done with people so they’re more clinically relevant than studies done using animals, cells, or isolated chemical reactions.

1 – Want to be free of chronic disease, live to 70, and keep your cognition, physical fitness, and mental health? Here’s what to eat.

Study title: Optimal dietary patterns for healthy aging

This is an observational study that looked at health metrics of 105,015 participants over 30 years (yep, that’s pretty big and long for a nutrition study). Of those participants, 9,771 achieved “healthy aging” and their diets were compared to others in the study who did not achieve healthy aging. Not only does this study reinforce what a nutritious diet is, but also has a great chart that shows, down to the individual foods, which are helpful and harmful to several areas of health as we age.

Here’s some background info:

• “80% of older adults [in the USA] have at least one chronic health condition,” so “promoting healthy aging is a global priority.”
• The goals are: “promoting a high quality of life, supporting continued contribution to society and reducing healthcare costs.”
• “Diet is the first leading behavioral risk factor for noncommunicable diseases and mortality burden globally, and the second after tobacco use in US older adults.”
• In this study, healthy aging was defined as: “surviving to the age of 70 years without the presence of 11 major chronic diseases and with no impairment in cognitive function, physical function or mental health.”
  • These 11 diseases were: cancer (except non-melanoma skin cancer), diabetes, myocardial infarction, coronary artery bypass graft surgery, congestive heart failure, stroke, kidney failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
• In this study, the diets consumed by the participants were graded based on how much and often they ate fruits, vegetables, nuts and legumes, alcohol, red and processed meat, whole grains, sodium, trans fats and long-chain n-3 (omega-3) fatty acids.

What the researchers found

• Figure 4 is a great visual to quickly see which specific foods (rows) are associated with healthy aging, intact cognitive function, intact physical function, intact mental health, free from chronic disease, and survived to 70 (columns).
  • Note from Leesa: See the difference between the very green rows of unsaturated and polyunsaturated fats vs the very red row of trans fats? I’m so glad that partially hydrogenated oils (it’s the partial hydrogenation that creates artificial trans fats) were banned here in Canada back in 2018 (the USA followed suit in 2021).

Here’s what the researchers conclude from this study:

• “Higher intakes of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, unsaturated fats, nuts, legumes and low-fat dairy products were linked to greater odds of healthy aging, whereas higher intakes of trans fats, sodium, sugary beverages and red or processed meats (or both) were inversely associated. Our findings suggest that dietary patterns rich in plant-based foods, with moderate inclusion of healthy animal-based foods, may enhance overall healthy aging, guiding future dietary guidelines.“

In other words, according to this 30-year study of over 100,000 adults, eating mostly plants and some healthy animal-based foods helped people live to be 70, free of 11 chronic diseases, and keep their cognitive, physical, and mental health intact. Those who ate more trans fats, sodium, sugary drinks, and red or processed meats didn’t do as well when it comes to healthy aging.

For more information, here’s a link to read the study for yourself:

• https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-025-03570-5

Note from Leesa: It is tragic that the US government has recently cut funding for the Nurses’ Health Study (NHS), making its future unknown. This is a huge blow to health research, especially for women’s health which has historically been far behind the money and effort placed into research for conditions that primarily affect men. (This diet for healthy aging study used data from the NHS as well as the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study, so men and women were included.)

You can read a bit more about the amazing impact the Nurses’ Health Study has had over the past 50 years where it helped to shed so much light on nutrition and chronic disease (in women) with its data being used in over 3,800 published studies, and the irreparable harm that will happen due to the funding cuts just announced in the past 2-3 months:

• https://hsph.harvard.edu/news/women-speak-out-on-risk-to-landmark-nurses-health-study/

Of course, cutting the NHS funding is just an example of 350 research grants that are being cut. Some other areas of health research that are affected include breast cancer, fertility, antibiotic resistance, COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), impacts of heat and air pollution on human health, etc.

2 – Brainy broccoli

Study title: Sulforaphane and Brain Health: From Pathways of Action to Effects on Specific Disorders

“We have the opportunity to intervene with diet and lifestyle choices that protect the developing brain, that foster its fullest and most thorough development, as well as help to protect it from neurological damage and degeneration as time marches forward.”

This study is a summary of the research into the many ways that sulforaphane helps protect brain health at any age.

Here’s some background info:

• “The brain accounts for about 2% of the body’s weight, but it consumes about 20% of the body’s energy at rest, primarily . . . from ATP produced in mitochondria. . . . because of its extensive energy demands for maintaining ion gradients, neurotransmission, and synaptic activity.”
• “The brain is also extremely susceptible to damage and dysregulation caused by inflammation (neuroinflammation) and oxidative stress.”
• “In the 1970s, cruciferous vegetable consumption was linked to reduced incidence of a variety of cancers. . . . Over the years these associations have expanded to include . . . a positive effect of vegetable consumption on psychological well-being; significantly lower . . . stress . . . sustained cognition in later life . . . slower cognitive decline in middle-aged and older adults; and beneficial effects of dark green and cruciferous vegetable consumption on cognitive function in older US adults. “
• “Many . . . challenges to the brain can be mitigated by the phytochemical sulforaphane (SF), which is particularly important in supporting mitochondrial function. SF or its biogenic precursor glucoraphanin, from broccoli seeds or sprouts, can confer neuroprotective and cognitive benefits.”
• FUN FACT: The bioactive compound sulforaphane is created from glucoraphanin when broccoli, broccoli seeds, or broccoli sprouts are bruised, cut, freeze-thawed, chewed, or when the plant cells are otherwise “damaged.”
• “SF is able to cross the blood–brain barrier as well as to protect it, and it mitigates the consequences of destructive neuroinflammation. It also protects against the neurotoxic effects of environmental pollutants, combats the tissue and cell damage wrought by advanced glycation end products (detoxication), and supports healthy glucose metabolism.”
• “These effects are applicable to individuals of all ages, from the developing brains in periconception and infancy, to cognitively, developmentally, and traumatically challenged brains, to those in later life as well as those who are suffering with multiple chronic conditions including Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases.“

Here’s a summary of the links between sulforaphane and brain health:

• Figure 3 is a great image listing the ways that sulforaphane helps the brain (anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, detoxification) as well as the brain conditions that it helps with (moods, cognition, sleep, diseases).

Here’s what the researchers concluded:

• “This review highlights an urgent takeaway driven by two converging factors:
  • • (1) evidence-based dietary (and behavioral) habits are so critical to healthspan, and
    • (2) brain development occurs early in life (Figure 1) and is crucial for long-term health.
  • In light of this intersection, we emphasize the critical importance of early attention to optimal phytochemical intake (e.g., SF), alongside essential macronutrients, minerals, and vitamins.”

In other words, enjoying more broccoli (including seeds and sprouts) at every age can help reduce neuroinflammation, oxidation, and to help detoxify the brain. Broccoli really is “brainy.”

For more information, here’s a link to read the study for yourself:

• https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12030691/

For a list of dozens of credible sites to find health information, plus some PubMed tips, download your free guide here:

3 – Metabolic magnesium

Study title: Effect of Magnesium Supplements on Improving Glucose Control, Blood Pressure and Lipid Profile in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A systematic review and meta-analysis

“This study evaluated the effects of magnesium (Mg) supplementation on glycaemic control in type 2 diabetes mellitus through a meta-analysis of 23 randomised controlled trials involving 1,345 participants.“

Here’s some background info:

• “Mg is an essential mineral that plays a crucial role in over 300 biochemical reactions necessary for maintaining homeostasis in the human body. Its functions range from nucleic acid production to influencing ATP-fuelled reactions and modulating activities . . . such as insulin release.”
• “Low . . . Mg is linked to hyperglycaemia, insulin resistance and an elevated risk of metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), chronic kidney disease and cardiovascular disease.”
• “This review aimed to conduct a meta-analysis of these RCTs to evaluate the effectiveness of Mg supplementation in controlling blood sugar levels.”

Here’s what the researchers conclude from this study:

• “Mg supplementation significantly increased serum Mg levels and reduced fasting blood glucose levels . . . . Additionally, Mg supplementation was linked to lower diastolic blood pressure and potential improvements in lipid profile. “

In other words, supplementing with magnesium increases blood levels of magnesium and may help to reduce fasting blood sugar, lower blood pressure, and potentially improve blood lipids.

For more information, here’s a link to read the study for yourself:

• https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12244252/

Signing off and toasting: To keeping up with the latest and greatest scientific research in nutrition, fitness, and health coaching!

Over to you

Do you have a specific question about any of these new studies?

Are you looking for a easy-to-understand study summary that you can share with your audience and clients?

What health topic/niche is most important to you?

Let me know in the comments below!