BUFFALO, N.Y. — We know that food is fuel for our bodies, but what foods make the best fuel for our brains?

“The foods that we eat, we think, 'OK, we break those foods down and that turns into energy.' Well, it's a little bit more complicated than that,” said Tegan Mansouri, clinical assistant professor at the University at Buffalo School of Public Health. 

According to a recent study published in the JAMA Network Open journal, the correct answer is foods that are anti-inflammatory.

“Anti-inflammatory foods [like] fruits, vegetables and also foods high in fiber like whole grains, those types of foods contribute to reducing the inflammation in our body,” Mansouri said. “And we know that inflammation is associated with decreased grey matter, decreased white matter and overall increased cognitive decline.”

The study looked at the diets of people with cardio metabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes or high blood pressure.

“What they found was that even those who had already been diagnosed with cardiometabolic disease, they were able to get the benefits of that anti-inflammatory diet that reduced their risk of dementia by 31%,” said Mansouri.

Meaning whole foods like fruits, veggies and whole grains help reduce the overall inflammation throughout our body. 

“The more we incorporate that in our diet, the less we’re consuming foods that don’t have as much nutrient density,” said Mansouri.

But it doesn’t mean that eating healthy has to be all work and no play.

“It’s so much less that eating a bowl of ice cream is going to cause inflammation and it's so much more about the overall balance of the diet,” Mansouri said.