Dr. Joel Fuhrman recently posted an article on his blog entitled "DHA and micronutrients may prevent brain shrinkage with age." This article is an important summary of the vitamins and phytochemicals that have been shown through scientific research to provide the brain with optimal nutrition and protection against cognitive decline. Higher intake levels of DHA in particular have been shown to improve cognitive function scores in older adults as well as to maintain brain volume. 

Previous research in the scientific community has shown that vegans have suboptimal levels of DHA, possibly due to poor conversion rates from alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) found in nuts, seeds and green leafy vegetables to EPA and DHA. Because of the possible adverse effects of low DHA levels in the unsupplemented vegan diet, it is of great importance to do more research to determine actual levels of DHA in vegans over a wide-age range. 
 
Dr. Fuhrman will lead this study as Director of Research for the Nutritional Research Project involving a national sample of 200 male and female adults who have followed a vegan diet for at least three years. If you are interested in participating, please look for sign-up information on the NRP Facebook page here or by signing up on our website home page here to receive updates as early as February of this year. 
 
This type of research supported by the Nutritional Research Project will continue to support our mission to evaluate the impact of a high-nutrient diet and the promotion of nutritional medicine based on real science and real food. Thank you in advance for your support!