preventing dementia – Lacto Bacto

As people age, they frequently start wondering what they can do to prevent memory and thinking problems, and especially dementia. The good news is that several large studies found that there are a number of lifestyle changes that one can do to have a healthier (memory! thinking!) brain in later years. Even if you are already in your 60s and 70s.

The evidence points to diet (e.g., Mediterranean style diet, ), exercise, and socializing being all important for brain health. In fact, it can result in keeping brains several years "younger" than in those with unhealthy lifestyles. Also, studies find that challenging your brain by learning something new, such as learning a new language or musical instrument or online cognitive training, is beneficial for the brain.

Adopting a lifestyle that promotes brain health is so very important, because it is NORMAL that as we age, there are brain changes, including brain shrinkage (volume of the brain). Therefore you want to slow down or delay these age related changes as much as possible. Researchers feel that adopting these lifestyle changes are so effective that they should be medically prescribed.

Excerpts from NPR: Trying to keep your brain young? A big new study finds these lifestyle changes help

Scientists have unveiled the strongest evidence yet that a combination of diet, exercise and brain training can improve thinking and memory in older Americans.

A study of more than 2,100 sedentary people in their 60s and 70s found that those who spent two years on the intensive regimen not only improved their mental abilities but appeared to reduce the usual declines associated with aging. ...continue reading "Lifestyle Changes That Benefit the Aging Brain"

Image result for Mediterranean diet More support for health benefits of a Mediterranean diet. Results of a study comparing brain health in groups of older people (in their 60s and 70s) suggest that a Mediterranean diet supplemented with olive oil or nuts may counter-act age-related cognitive decline (overall their cognitive test scores held steady). But the group assigned to the low-fat diet (the control group) worsened on cognitive tests. The Mediterranean diet emphasizes eating vegetables, fruits, legumes (beans), nuts, whole grains, seeds, olive oil, fish, moderate consumption of dairy products (mostly as cheese and yogurt), moderate wine consumption (optional), and low consumption of meat and meat products.From the Wall Street Journal:

Mediterranean Diet Boosts Brain Power, Clinical Study Finds

The Mediterranean diet, supplemented with a handful of nuts or a few tablespoons of olive oil a day, can counteract the effects of aging on the brain’s ability to function, a new clinical study suggests.

The study, published online Monday in JAMA Internal Medicine, was unusual in that it employed rigorous scientific practices to test the effect of the diet on health....Data gathered from previous observational studies suggested that adhering to a Mediterranean-type diet related to better cognitive function and a reduced risk of dementia, but observational studies have limitations, he said.

The Mediterranean diet, which has also shown benefits in cardiovascular health, emphasizes vegetables and fruits, unrefined grains and beans. It also includes fish and wine and minimal consumption of meat and full-fat dairy products.

The study involved 447 cognitively healthy participants, 55 to 80 years of age, who were divided into three groups. Two groups followed the Mediterranean diet and added either 30 grams of mixed nuts (walnuts, hazelnuts and almonds) a day, or five tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil a day. The third group, acting as a control, was advised to follow a low-fat diet. The subjects were followed for a median of just over four years.

The results showed that, compared with the control group, memory function remained stronger in the Mediterranean diet plus nuts group, while frontal (attention and executive function) and global cognition benefited in the Mediterranean diet plus olive oil group.

The diminished decline in cognitive function likely stems from the abundance of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory agents found in the supplemental foods, Dr. Ros said. Olive oil and nuts are rich in phenolic compounds that might counteract oxidative processes in the brain, leading to neurodegeneration, the study said. “If you can delay your age-related cognitive decline, you can process tasks with higher speed,” said Dr. Ros.

The research was a substudy of a larger investigation, designed by Dr. Ros, that found the Mediterranean diet, supplemented with additional olive oil or nuts, reduced the incidence of major cardiovascular events among people at high cardiovascular risk. That study, which involved nearly 7,500 participants and known by the acronym Predimed, was published in 2013.