Clinicians and researchers use standardized tests to assess memory and thinking ability. In one commonly used memory test, a short story is read to patients and then they try to recall it from memory. Their response is scored by counting the number of story details the patient remembers. However, this scoring ignores a wealth of information about ‘how’ the person responded; qualities such as the use of complex or simple sentences, repetition of story details, or admitting they forgot pieces of the story with comments such as “I forgot her name.”

A healthy, balanced dietary pattern, rather than one focused on individual nutrients or foods is key to maintaining heart health, according to a Scientific Statement issued by the American College of Cardiology and published in JACC, its flagship journal. Diets should include minimally processed plant-based foods and healthy fats and proteins, while limiting foods high in refined starches, added sugars, sodium or unhealthy fats, as well as highly processed foods of poor nutritional quality.