How spinach can boost brain power

Spinach was long promoted as the food that gave Popeye his bulging muscles. But it really boosts brain rather than brawn, say scientists.

They found that a diet rich in spinach can help keep your brain alert in old age. The vegetable is packed with antioxidants which experts say can block the effects of free radicals - toxins produced by the body that damage cells and can lead to heart disease, cancer and strokes.

Studies suggest the lifelong accumulation of free radicals in the brain is linked to mental decline in old age and is also a probable factor in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases.

Researchers discovered that rats fed a diet containing a good helping of spinach performed far better on a memory and learning test.

'This finding is of significant interest and now needs to be tested in humans, ' said Dr Paula Bickford, of the University of South Florida, who led the study.

For those who can't stomach their greens, blueberries are also rich in antioxidants, scientists also found. They said this 'has rather hopeful implications for prevention of neurological disorders in our increasingly ageing population'.

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