by Sally Rummel for TC Times:

If you’re making lists to help you remember all that you have to do in a day, the most important list by far is your grocery list.

That’s because the food you buy at the grocery store will actually help you “supercharge” your brain, if you make the right choices. Even as people age chronologically, we can maintain a healthy brain into “old age” by adding these smart foods to our daily diets.

Not surprisingly, women and men require different foods, because there are clear differences between male and female brains.

by Paula Johnson for U~T San Diego:

Many people believe aging is symbiotic with memory loss. The words dementia and Alzheimer’s disease weigh heavy on our hearts. We fear it will happen to us or even scarier – to our loved ones. We think if we do not talk about it, it will never become a reality or we make jokes about getting older and losing our minds to lighten the mood.

This aloof and fearful attitude stems from the belief that there is nothing we can do to improve our brain function. Although there currently isn’t a cure for memory loss you can still activate neuroplasticity (which is how the brain heals) at any age.

The acronym, B.R.A.I.N. – beliefs, relationships, activities, ignite and nutrition are five areas you can work on to slow memory loss.

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by Jan Johansen for Newswire:

Dementia is a terrible thing. It attacks your loved ones’ cherished memories and cognition and leaves them emotionally and physically wasting away. They can fall into depression and even begin refusing foods they once loved.

If you’ve ever had or cared for a loved one suffering from dementia, you know what a hopeless feeling it can be. But now a recent study out of Taiwan offers some hope on the horizon for dementia suffers and caregivers.

Researchers from the National Yang-Ming University set out to improve quality of life for millions of people currently suffering from dementia. And these researchers noticed the same things we all notice — as many dementia sufferers surrender to depression and cut back on eating and physical activity, their physical condition declines rapidly.

So instead of attacking the problem with some toxic, side-effect-laden prescription pill, the researchers tackled the problem another way — with a fork.

by Grandparent.com:

Keep Your Brain Healthy

The best thing you can do to keep your brain working the way you want it to: exercise, and eat right. “Nutrition is very, very important to brain health,” says Paul Nussbaum, Ph.D., a clinical neuropsychologist and member of scientific advisory board for the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America. “Surprisingly, the brain is made up of 60% fat–it’s the fattest part of our body–and that fat insulates the nerve tracks. Without that fat we slow down mentally,” Dr. Nussbaum says.

The crucial thing to know: The kinds of fats and foods you eat, can have a real impact on the health of your brain. Trans fats and sugar aren’t great for your brain health. What foods are good and can reduce your risk of Alzheimer’s? Consider eating these good-for-your-brain foods:

by Stephanie O’Neill for SCPR:

Alzheimer’s and other dementia disorders are expected to afflict 13 million Americans by mid-century.  That’s more than double the number who today suffer from the brain disease that begins as forgetfulness and progresses into loss of brain function that affects memory, thinking and behavior.

Common risk factors for Alzheimer’s include family history,  long-term high blood pressure, being female, repeated head trauma and the one we all fear – simply aging.

None alone guarantee Alzheimer’s – and University of Pittsburgh neuropsychologist Paul Nussbaum says you can turn the odds in your favor with five healthy lifestyle behaviors to protect your brain.

1. Get physical. “One is physical activity. The reason why that’s important is every time your heart beats, 25 percent of the blood goes to the brain,” says Nussbaum.

by Daily Disruption:

Many patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and individuals concerned about developing memory loss feel they have limited options.  While there is no ‘magic pill’ to cure or prevent AD, a new book outlines a cutting-edge approach to systematically address this disease.

Besides eating properly and exercising, there are several useful strategies for managing AD, according to Richard S. Isaacson, M.D., Associate Professor of Clinical Neurology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and author of the new book, “Alzheimer’s Treatment, Alzheimer’s Prevention: A Patient and Family Guide.”

“As a physician and someone who has several family members with Alzheimer’s, it’s important I provide as many resources possible to help patients and their families manage this condition,” said Dr. Isaacson. “After seeing success with my own patients, I wrote this book to educate those who I will not get a chance to see in my clinic and may not be aware of all their options.”

With Dr. Gary Small by Antonia Zerbisias for The Star

Q: Everybody thinks the moment they forget something, they’re getting Alzheimer’s. What’s that about?

A: There’s a lot of concern and anxiety about it. But the reality is that our brains age throughout life and, in fact, the science tells us that at age 45 we can measure cognitive and memory decline in the average person. There’s a steady gradual decline that continues.

One of the reasons that Gigi and I were motivated to write this book was to explain to people the truth about their brain aging and memory decline rather than living in fear that it’s Alzheimer’s dementia every moment.

Q: What’s the difference between Alzheimer’s and dementia?

A: The best way to define dementia is that it’s a cognitive impairment severe enough that you need help from others, that you really can’t be independent anymore.

People can get dementia from many different causes. You can have it from small strokes, you can have a reversible dementia as a drug side effect or a thyroid imbalance.

You can help keep your brain healthy with these six foods — plus a dose of sunshine
by Michael Haederle for AARP

The food you eat may have a lot to do with how healthy your brain stays as you age, according to the latest nutritional research.

People in their late 80s with higher blood levels of B-complex vitamins, vitamins C, D and E, as well as the omega-3 fatty acids found in fish, showed less mental impairment and brain shrinkage typical of Alzheimer’s disease, according to a new study led by Gene Bowman, a scientist at Oregon Health and Science University in Portland.

Meanwhile, a University of Miami study of 1,091 men and women who ate a Mediterranean diet, including vegetables, fruits, small amounts of meat and fish, whole grains, nuts, olive oil and moderate amounts of alcohol, found they had less small blood-vessel damage in the brain. Studies have also highlighted the apparent dementia-fighting benefits of leafy greens and vegetables such as cabbage and cauliflower.

What you don’t eat matters, too. Artery-clogging trans fats are a clear no-no, and a recent Mayo Clinic study of 1,233 older men and women found that simply limiting food intake to fewer than 2,150 calories a day was linked to better brain health.

Further research is needed to confirm the diet-brain health link, scientists stress. Meanwhile, it’s probably not just a matter of getting more of a particular nutrient, Bowman says, but in following a balanced diet. “There are hundreds or thousands of different molecules in foods we eat,” he says. “It’s really complex.”

by Lorie Johnson for CBN News

For years, doctors have been advising Americans not to consume trans fats. But do you really stay away from them?

What if trans fats cause the onset of Alzheimer’s disease? That question led to an investigation at Portland’s Oregon Health and Science University, led by Dr. Gene Bowman.

“We’re interested in things that might have a role in the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease,” he said. “But we’re also looking for things that actually might be causing the disease.”

Big Brains vs. Small Brains

Dr. Bowman and his colleagues studied 104 seniors with an average age of 87 years. They submitted blood samples that revealed what nutrients were in their bodies. They also took thinking and memory tests. And they had MRI brain scans.

Scientists discovered those with higher levels of trans fats in their blood had smaller brains.

by Elizabeth Collins for Hive Health Media

Aging is inevitable. Try as we may, it is a fact that we must face each day and with every tick of the clock. But aging should not be something to be dreaded. It only becomes difficult when we fail to keep ourselves healthy and suffer from the diseases that come with aging.

One of the most common problems faced by our senior population is the gradual loss of normal brain functioning. This ranges from partial memory loss to complete loss of cognitive abilities. Although it is totally normal for older individuals to suffer from episodes of “forgetfulness.” This should not be taken lightly as this might already indicate the early symptoms of a disease.

How to Keep Our Brains Young

According to a study made at the University of California in San Francisco, cases of Alzheimer’s disease could be prevented or at least delayed by keeping ourselves healthy. Reducing risk factors such as smoking, obesity, inactivity and diabetes could cut down the number of people suffering from Alzheimer by at least half a million in the United States.

Exercise Your Body, Exercise Your Brain