According to a latest study, lutein-rich foods not only give you your required dose of vitamins and proteins, but can also do wonders for your overall cognitive skills.

Lutein is a nutrient that the body cannot make on its own. It is synthesised only by plants and is found in high quantities in green leafy vegetables such as spinach, avocado, kale and yellow carrots. The nutrient has to be retrieved through diet.

The study published in the journal Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, analysed 60 adults aged 25 to 45, and found that middle-aged participants with higher levels of lutein had neural responses which were found to be more on par with younger individuals than with their peers.

Researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign said that loading up on these lutein rich foods can help boost overall cognitive abilities in middle-aged individuals.