Being forgetful is a normal consequence of getting old. But if your memory fails you more often than it should, perhaps eating blueberries and other foods rich in flavonoids, particular ly anthocyanins and flavanols, may help in reversing your age-related deficits in memory.
Although the precise mechanisms by which these plant-derived molecules affect the brain are unknown, they have been shown to cross the blood brain barrier after dietary intake. It is believed that they exert their effects on learning and memory by enhancing existing neuronal (brain cell) connections, improving cellular communications and stimulating neuronal regeneration.
The enhancement of both short-term and …read more

Stumbled across an article highlighting the effect of diet and other prescription pills on alzheimer’s disease. Among the food items mentioned were coffee and omega-3 fatty acid — docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) or fish oil, which I’ve also discussed previously here, here, and here.
The Science Daily article points to recent studies explaining how DHA may reduce risks of Alzheimer’s disease.
Image Credit: sofijab

A new study published in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology indicates that consuming the right type of oils is crucial if you want to boost your brain health.
The study found people who regularly consumed omega-3 rich oils, such as canola oil, flaxseed oil and walnut oil, reduced their risk of dementia by 60 percent compared to people who did not regularly consume such oils. People who ate fruits and vegetables daily also reduced their risk of dementia by 30 percent compared to those who didn’t regularly eat fruits and vegetables.
The study also found people who …read more

A group of researchers report in The Journal of Neurochemistry and Nature Reviews Neuroscience that the herb rosemary contains carnosic acid, which can protect the brain from stroke and neurodegeneration due free radicals damages. These radicals are thought to contribute not only to stroke and neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer’s, but also to the ill effects of normal aging on the brain.
In animal models, the scientific group, led by Drs. Takumi Satoh (Iwate University, Japan) and Stuart Lipton (Burnham Institute), found that CA becomes activated by the free radical damage itself, remaining innocuous unless needed, exactly what is wanted in …read more

Two antioxidant dietary supplements — acetyl-l-carnitine and alpha lipoic acid — have been demonstrated to improve the memory, ability to learn and cognitive function of old dogs.
“We’ve shown in some previous animal work that these supplements could improve memory and energy level,” Hagen said. “Now we’re seeing that animals receiving supplements are much more readily able to learn new things as well, even at an advanced age.”
In these tests, the effects of supplementation with these compounds appeared to work fairly quickly, in a matter of days or weeks, the scientists said. Some other studies, however, have required much longer periods …read more

I’ve already confessed what a coffee-junkie I am. A few years ago, I might have felt bad, even guilty about it, but with more and more studies showing the health benefits of caffeine, I actually start to think I’m doing myself good with this little addiction. I still think that like with anything else, moderation is the key and too much of anything cannot be good. But isn’t it amazing how many diseases a cuppa can help prevent– a search for coffee on this blog will return a myriad of articles heart disease, liver cirrhosis, Parkinson’s disease, diabetes, pain management, …read more

If you start eating foods rich in a compound called epicatechin now, you might be able to keep your memory sharp even into the old age. Epicatechin is a natural compound found in blueberries, tea, grapes, and cocoa. In mice trials, it has been shown that the combination of exercise and a diet with epicatechin promoted structural and functional changes in the dentate gyrus, a part of the brain involved in the formation of learning and memory.
When studying their brains, van Praag and her colleagues found that these mice had greater blood vessel growth in the dentate gyrus and …read more

I already enumerated some of the reported health benefits of coffee in a previous entry. Well, here’s another one: Coffee consumption seems to slows down cognitive decline in elderly men.
A survey of 670 men born between 1900 and 1920 from Finland, Italy and the Netherlands were observed for a period of 10 years. Coffee consumption were recorded and at the same time, cognitive performance was assessed using the “Mini-Mental State Examination”. The results:
Although the men who consumed coffee also showed cognitive decline (of course, who wouldn’t at that age?), non-consumers had an additional decline of 1.4 points. Also, it …read more