If you notice memory lapses, you may want to
consider making some immediate lifestyle changes to
help reverse, or at least minimize further damage
that might lead to dementia or Alzheimer’s disease
Stress is an important factor that can have a direct
effect on brain function. One recent study found
that higher levels of stress hormones can speed up
short-term memory loss in older adults
Lack of restorative sleep can lead to loss of brain
volume, and may accelerate onset of Alzheimer’s
disease
Those who exercise the most tend to have the least
amount of brain shrinkage over time. Not only that,
but exercise actually causes your brain to grow in
size
Mental stimulation is also an important lifestyle
factor for keeping your memory sharp. Ten apps aimed
at reducing stress and increasing cognitive function
are included
By Dr. Mercola
Are forgetfulness and "senior moments" inevitable parts of aging?
Many medical professionals (including the doctor in CNN's news brief
above) say it's perfectly normal to start having memory lapses by
the time you reach middle age.
I disagree. In fact, if you notice memory lapses, you may want to
seriously consider making some immediate lifestyle changes to help
reverse, or at least minimize further damage that might lead to
dementia or Alzheimer's disease.
Fortunately, your brain is actually quite resilient, and has the
capacity to regenerate and repair itself, which is given the medical
term neuroplasticity. This is new information and not what I was
taught in medical school in the late '80s.
You'll find that many of the lifestyle changes that will help
prevent diabetes will also improve your brain function. There's good
reason for this, as sugar can have an adverse effect on your memory
even if you're otherwise healthy.
Increasing amounts of research also attest to the power of
exercise to keep your mind sharp. Other factors that can have a
significant impact on your brain function include lifestyle factors
such as stress and poor sleeping habits.
The One Part of Your Brain That Appears to Be Protected Against
Aging
Interestingly, recent research1
shows that certain cognitive systems located in the right cerebral
hemisphere, such as spatial attention, mysteriously appear to be
protected from the ravages of aging.
"Our studies have found that older and younger adults
perform in a similar way on a range of visual and non-visual
tasks that measure spatial attention," said lead author Dr.
Joanna Brooks.
"Both younger (aged 18 to 38 years) and older (55 to 95
years) adults had the same responses for spatial attention tasks
involving touch, sight or sound."
The question is why? Understanding why certain brain regions are
more protected than others may eventually lead to greater insight
into brain degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's. That said,
there's no need to wait for a medical miracle. You already have the
power to improve your memory and other brain functions.
The Influence of Stress
When it comes to brain function, stress is an important factor
that can have a direct effect. For example, one recent animal study
found that higher levels of stress hormones can speed up short-term
memory loss in older adults.2
In a nutshell, the stress hormone cortisol has a corrosive effect
that, over time, wears down the synapses responsible for memory
storage and processing. Previous research3
has also linked chronic stress with working memory impairment.
Other recent research suggests that stress may even speed up the
onset of more serious dementia known as Alzheimer's disease, which
currently afflicts about 5.4 million Americans, including one in
eight people aged 65 and over.4
While it's virtually impossible to eliminate all stress from your
life, there are tools you can use that will allow your body to
effectively compensate for the bioelectrical short-circuiting that
takes place when you're stressed or anxious.
My favorite tool for stress management is the
Emotional
Freedom Technique (EFT). It's an energy psychology tool that can
help reprogram your body's reactions to everyday stress, thereby
reducing your chances of developing adverse health effects.
In the following video, Julie Schiffman demonstrates how to tap
for anxiety and overwhelm first thing in the morning, to help you
start your day in a more relaxed state.
Poor Sleep Can Shrink Your Brain and Cause Neuron Degeneration
Stress and poor sleep often go hand-in-hand, and like stress,
lack of restorative sleep can also wreak havoc on your brain
function. Moreover, it can actually lead to loss of brain volume,
and may accelerate onset of Alzheimer's disease.5
Part of the reason for this is related to the fact that your
brain removes toxic waste during sleep.6,
7,
8,
9 Sleep is also necessary for maintaining metabolic
homeostasis in your brain10,
11,
12 ---without sufficient sleep, your neurons will actually
begin to degenerate.
Unfortunately, research shows that you cannot prevent
this damage by trying to catch up on sleep during the weekends. So
it's critical to maintain a regular sleep schedule where you get
enough sleep on a nightly basis.
Recent research published in the journal Neurology13,
14,
15 also shows that sleep problems like insomnia can have a
distinct impact on your brain volume over time, causing it to
shrink—and shrink more rapidly, compared to those who sleep well.
This effect is particularly significant in those over 60.
The Importance of Exercise
There are compelling links between exercise and brain health.
Most recently, researchers at the University of Minnesota concluded16,
17,
18 that people who have greater cardiorespiratory fitness
in their teens and 20s score better on cognitive tests in their
mid-40s and 50s.
Those who were fitter in their early adulthood also scored better
on tests designed to assess reaction speed and the mental agility
needed to answer trick questions.
Obesity is associated with
cognitive decline,19
in part because it increases levels of inflammatory chemicals known
as cytokines in your body, which are strongly damaging to brain
function.
According to a study published in the Journal of
Neuroscience,20
it appears your body may react to excess fat as an invader, causing
levels of cytokines to stay elevated, thereby causing chronic
inflammation.
Exercise is, of course, a key ingredient for weight loss. But
it's also a simple yet remarkably potent way to lower your levels of
inflammatory cytokines, which will help protect your brain function.
And, while lack of sleep can lead to brain shrinkage, those who
exercise the most tend to have the least amount of
brain shrinkage over time. Not only that, but exercise actually
causes your brain to grow in size. In one study, adults
aged 60 to 80 who walked for 30 to 45 minutes, three days per week
for one year, showed a two percent increase in the volume of their
hippocampus21—a
brain region associated with memory. This is one of the reasons it
might be a good idea to get a fitness tracker and making sure you
walk about 10,000 steps a day.
Sugar Damages Brain Function
It's impossible to discuss brain health without addressing the
hazards of a high-sugar, low-fat processed food diet. In fact, a
growing body of research suggests there's a powerful connection
between your diet and your risk of developing Alzheimer's disease,
via similar pathways that cause type 2 diabetes. According to some
experts, such as Dr. Ron Rosedale, Alzheimer's and other brain
disorders may in large part be caused by the constant burning of
glucose for fuel by your brain.
This may sound surprising, but contrary to popular belief, your
brain does not require glucose. It actually functions
better burning
ketones, which your body makes in response to digesting healthy
fats. Research22
has also shown that type 2 diabetics lose more brain volume with age
than expected—particularly gray matter. But recent research23
shows that sugar and other carbohydrates can disrupt your brain
function even if you're not diabetic or have any signs of dementia.
After evaluating more than 140 healthy, non-diabetic,
non-demented seniors, the researchers concluded that higher glucose
levels were associated with worse memory, a smaller hippocampus, and
compromised hippocampal structure. According to study co-author
Agnes Flöel, the results "provide further evidence that glucose
might directly contribute to hippocampal atrophy."
So these findings suggest that even if you're not diabetic or
insulin resistant (and about 80 percent of Americans fall into the
latter category), sugar consumption can still disrupt your
memory. Additionally, when your liver is busy processing fructose,
it severely hampers its ability to make
cholesterol, an essential building block of your brain that is
crucial for optimal brain function. Indeed, mounting evidence
supports the notion that significantly reducing fructose consumption
is a very important step for
preventing Alzheimer's disease.
Eat Your Veggies to Protect Against Mental Decline
Nutritional intervention using
vegetables may play an important role in preventing and/or
reversing cognitive decline. The reason for this is because they are
key sources of a wide variety of antioxidants—nutrients that disarm
harmful molecules called free radicals. Free radical oxidative
damage is believed to play a leading role in age-related changes in
your health, and your brain may be particularly vulnerable to such
damage.
For optimal benefits, it is prudent to eat whole, ideally organic
foods. Foods containing a variety of phytochemicals and cofactors
offer greater protection and health benefits than individual
nutrients in high doses.
Juicing is a great way to boost your vegetable intake, and
incorporate veggies that you may otherwise not eat. If you want your
vegetables to have the highest nutritional density, take a
look at my list of
powerhouse fruits and vegetables. Avoid wilted vegetables, as
they've lost much of their nutritional value. It is wise to eat a
variety of dark green leafy vegetables, plus other vividly colored
veggies (purple, red, yellow, and orange) to make sure you receive a
broad range of those powerful plant nutrients.
Eating foods that are in season, especially in your local area,
will help ensure they are fresh and at peak nutritional value, as
well as typically being less expensive. Here is a graphic for
determining what veggies may be in season:
Two Potent Brain Foods: Coconut Oil and Omega-3 Fat
The low-fat craze (aimed at preventing heart disease) is another
contributing factor to deteriorating brain function. Not only does
avoiding healthy fat promote heart disease, it also promotes brain
diseases like Alzheimer's. Your body can convert two types of fuel
into energy: carbs/sugar or fat. Ketones are what your body produces
when it converts fat (as opposed to glucose) into energy,
and a primary source of ketone bodies are the medium-chain
triglycerides (MCT) found
coconut oil. While your brain can run quite well on glucose,
evidence suggests that ketone bodies may actually help restore
and renew neurons and nerve function in your brain, even after
damage has set in. Glucose will not do this.
Interestingly, the mechanism of this MCT-ketone metabolism
appears to be that your body treats MCTs as a carbohydrate and not a
fat. This allows the ketone energy to hit your bloodstream without
the normal insulin spike associated with carbohydrates. So in
effect, coconut oil is a fat that acts like a carbohydrate when it
comes to brain fuel. Therapeutic levels of MCTs have been studied at
20 grams per day, which translates into just over two tablespoons of
coconut oil. It's best taken with food, to avoid upsetting your
stomach.
You can also increase ketone production by either restricting
carbohydrates and/or
intermittent fasting. Personally, I believe all three of these
strategies are best applied together, as you need to replace carbs
with high-quality fat for optimal health, and intermittent fasting
will help your body shift to burning fat as its primary fuel. I
believe it's one of the most effective ways to shed excess weight
and normalize your insulin and leptin sensitivity.
Animal-based omega-3 fat is another crucial fat for brain health.
One 2013 study24
found that older women with the highest levels of omega-3 fats had
less brain atrophy as they aged compared to those with the lowest
levels, which could translate into maintaining better brain function
for an extra year or two. Previous research25
has also confirmed the beneficial effect of omega-3 fat on brain
function in youngsters, concluding that DHA intake is a "robust
modulator of functional cortical activity."
The Importance of Keeping Your Mind Challenged
Besides diet, exercise, addressing stress, and making sure you're
getting sufficient restorative sleep, mental stimulation is also an
important lifestyle factor for keeping your memory sharp. The
process of learning something new, such as learning to play an
instrument or a new language for example, is particularly
beneficial. CNN Health recently listed "The 10 Best Apps to Train
Your Brain,"26
some of which are aimed at reducing stress and promoting mental
health, while others are focused on increasing cognitive function.
These apps include:
Lumosity, which uses
games to train your memory, attention, problem solving,
processing speed, and flexibility of thinking
Brain Trainer Special
employs games involving letter, number, and sequencing
memorization
CogniFit Brain Fitness
also uses games designed to improve cognitive abilities such
as memory and concentration
Brain Fitness Pro uses
a variety of memory training exercises to increase focus,
memory, and problem-solving skills
Personal Zenis a game
designed to reduce anxiety by learning to focus more on that
which is positive, rather than dwelling on the negative
Fit
Brains Traineroffers
more than 360 games and puzzles to help improve your mental
agility
Happifyis another app
that helps you develop a more positive attitude, which can
make you more resilient in the face of stress
Eideticemploys a
spaced repetition technique to help you memorize just about
anything. It will also notify you when it's time to test
yourself, which helps ensure you're retaining the
information
Positive Activity Jackpot.
Originally developed for returning military service members,
this app uses GPS to locate fun activities for those
struggling with depression. If you're feeling indecisive,
you can let the app decide which activity to do, using the
"jackpot lever." According to CNN: "PAJ is based on a
form of behavioral therapy called pleasant event scheduling,
which encourages a daily schedule of enjoyable activities to
improve moods and overcome despondent thoughts."
ReliefLink was
originally developed for suicide prevention, but can also be
used to track your moods. According to CNN: "It also
includes unique coping methods, such as voice-recorded
mindfulness and relaxation exercises, or relaxing music. The
map locator pinpoints nearby therapists, support groups and
mental health treatment facilities, too, in case you ever
need to talk to a professional."
Guidelines for Maintaining Healthy Brain Function with Age
I do not believe failing memory, brain atrophy, and eventual
dementia are par the course for aging. As explained by neurologist
Dr. David Perlmutter, dementia (including Alzheimer's disease)
is the result of lifestyle choices that are well within your
control. Two of the main culprits are excessive sugar and gluten
consumption. But there are many other contributing factors as well.
Below I will summarize what I've covered in this article, and
mention a number of other prevention strategies that I did not yet
cover.
Dietary
Recommendations
Avoid sugar and
refined fructose. Ideally, you'll want to keep your total
sugar and
fructose below 25 grams per day, or as low as 15 grams
per day if you have insulin resistance or any related
disorders. In one animal study, a junk food diet high in
sugar resulted in impaired memory after just one week!27
As a general rule, you'll want to keep your fasting insulin
levels below 3, and this is indirectly related to fructose,
as it will clearly lead to insulin resistance. However,
other sugars (sucrose is 50 percent fructose by weight),
grains, and lack of exercise are also important factors.
Lowering insulin will also help lower leptin levels which is
another factor for Alzheimer's.
Avoid gluten and
casein (primarily wheat and pasteurized dairy, but not dairy
fat, such as butter). Research shows that your
blood-brain barrier, the barrier that keeps things out of
your brain where they don't belong, is negatively affected
by gluten. Gluten also makes your gut more permeable, which
allows proteins to get into your bloodstream, where they
don't belong. That then sensitizes your immune system and
promotes inflammation and autoimmunity, both of which play a
role in the development of Alzheimer's. Dr. Perlmutter's
book,
Grain Brain, also provides powerful arguments for
eliminating grains from your diet, particularly if you want
to protect the health of your brain.
Aim for an organic
diet to avoid agricultural chemicals like glyphosate.
Glyphosate, which is one of the most widely used
agricultural chemicals today, causes extreme disruption of
your gut microbes' function and lifecycle; preferentially
affecting beneficial bacteria while promoting the growth of
pathogens in your intestines. It also inhibits enzymes that
catalyze the oxidation of organic substances, which appears
to be an overlooked component of
glyphosate's toxicity to mammals. By limiting the
ability of these enzymes to detoxify foreign chemical
compounds, glyphosate enhances the damaging effects
of those chemicals and environmental toxins you may be
exposed to. Glyphosate contamination is most prevalent in
genetically engineered grains, which are now pervasive in
most processed foods sold in the US.
Eat plenty of
folate-rich vegetables. Avoid supplements like folic acid,
which is the inferior synthetic version of folate. Green
leafy vegetables like spinach and Swiss chard are also
excellent sources of magnesium, and preliminary research
strongly suggests that increased levels of
magnesium in the brain can decrease symptoms of
Alzheimer's. Juicing
your vegetables is an excellent option to ensure you're
getting enough of them in your diet.
Increase consumption
of all healthful fats, including animal-based omega-3.
Beneficial fats that your brain needs for optimal function
include organic butter from raw milk, clarified butter
called ghee, organic, grass-fed raw butter, olives, organic
virgin olive oil and coconut oil, nuts like pecans and
macadamia, free-range eggs, wild Alaskan salmon, and
avocado. Also make sure you're getting enough animal-based
omega-3 fats, such as krill oil. (I recommend avoiding most
fish because, although fish is naturally high in omega-3,
most fish are now severely contaminated with mercury.)
Optimize your gut
flora by regularly eating fermented foods or taking a
high-potency and high-quality probiotic supplement.
Beneficial
Lifestyle Strategies
Exercise regularly.
You may review the
Peak Fitness Technique for my specific recommendations.
Optimize your vitamin
D levels with safe sun exposure. Strong links between low
levels of vitamin D in Alzheimer's patients and poor
outcomes on cognitive tests have been revealed. Researchers
believe that optimal vitamin D levels may enhance the amount
of important chemicals in your brain and protect brain cells
by increasing the effectiveness of the glial cells in
nursing damaged neurons back to health. Sufficient vitamin D
is also imperative for proper functioning of your immune
system to combat inflammation that is also associated with
Alzheimer's.
Avoid and eliminate
mercury from your body. Dental amalgam fillings, which are
50 percent mercury by weight, are one of the major sources
of heavy metal toxicity, however you should be healthy prior
to having them removed. Once you have adjusted to following
the diet described in my optimized
nutrition plan, you can follow the
mercury detox protocol and then find a biological
dentist to have your amalgams removed.
Avoid aluminum, such
as antiperspirants, non-stick cookware,
vaccine adjuvants, etc.
Avoid anticholinergics
and statin drugs. Drugs that block acetylcholine, a nervous
system neurotransmitter, have been shown to increase your
risk of dementia. These drugs include certain nighttime pain
relievers, antihistamines, sleep aids, certain
antidepressants, medications to control incontinence, and
certain narcotic pain relievers.
Statin drugs are particularly problematic because they
suppress the synthesis of cholesterol, deplete your brain of
coenzyme Q10 and neurotransmitter precursors, and prevent
adequate delivery of essential fatty acids and fat-soluble
antioxidants to your brain by inhibiting the production of
the indispensable carrier biomolecule known as low-density
lipoprotein.
Challenge your mind
daily.
Helpful
Supplements
Ginkgo biloba: A 1997
study from JAMA showed clear evidence that Ginkgo
improves cognitive performance and social functioning for
those suffering from dementia. Another 2006 study found
Ginkgo as effective as the dementia drug Aricept (donepezil)
for treating mild to moderate Alzheimer's type dementia. A
2010 meta-analysis also found Ginkgo biloba to be effective
for a variety of types of dementia.
Alpha lipoic acid
(ALA): ALA has been shown to help stabilize cognitive
functions among Alzheimer's patients and may slow the
progression of the disease.
Vitamin B12: A small
Finnish study28
found that people who consume foods rich in B12 may reduce
their risk of Alzheimer's in their later years. For each
unit increase in the marker of vitamin B12, the risk of
developing Alzheimer's was reduced by two percent.
Sublingual methylcobalamin may be your best bet here. Large
doses of B vitamins can halve the rate of brain shrinkage in
elderly people with memory problems. It may slow their
progression toward dementia. Another two-year clinical trial29
assessing the effect of B vitamins on mild cognitive
impairment found that high doses of B vitamins successfully
limited brain shrinkage.
15-Minute At-Home Alzheimer's Test
There's no doubt that Alzheimer's disease is fast becoming a
concern on many people's minds. One quick and pain-free way to
assess your risk is to take the Self-Administered Gerocognitive
Examination (SAGE) test. It's a 15-minute at-home test developed by
Douglas Scharre, M.D., of the Division of Cognitive Neurology at
Ohio State University's Wexner Medical Center.30,
31 You can download the
SAGE test from the University's website.32
According to Dr. Scharre, this simple test correlates very well to
more comprehensive cognitive tests, and is an excellent way to get
an early assessment of your cognitive function. If taken at
intervals over time, it can also serve as an early warning, if your
scores begin to decline.
Copyright 1997- 2014 Dr. Joseph Mercola. All Rights Reserved.