People are living longer than ever before. Healthy seniors can look forward to many years of active life, thanks to the ability to repair or replace damaged joints, treat heart problems and other advances.
But there is a downside. Because we are living longer, we are more likely to suffer from age-related memory loss and dementia such as Alzheimer's disease. For many people, dementia is the worst fear of old age.
Research shows that the risk of some problems of the mind is inherited. But, there's also evidence that a healthy lifestyle and good medical care can help keep the mind, like the body healthy, active and vital into old age. Here are some ways to keep your mind as sharp as possible.
1. Stay physically active.
By keeping your heart, lungs, and blood vessels healthy, exercise helps ensure that the brain, including brain cells. receive the oxygen and nutrients they need.
A healthy circulatory system can be particularly important for a healthy mind. The brain only represents about 2% of body weight, but it uses about 25% of the energy we use. So maintaining a healthy cardiovascular system to deliver that energy is critically important. Keeping muscles fit is also important (see turning back the age clock). In 2009 a study of 900 seniors, researchers at Rush University Medical Centre in Chicago reported that those who maintained muscle strength were significantly less likely to go on to develop memory impairment or Alzheimer's disease.
Believe it or not but one of the best forms of exercise, particularly as we age, for supporting the brain is Dance
( see Dancing for Health).
2. Eating a diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables.
Researchers are just beginning to appreciate that many healthful compounds in plant-based foods help protect against chronic diseases. For a healthy brain, antioxidants such as vitamin C, E, and A may be especially important. Dozens of studies have shown that foods high in antioxidants, such as blueberries and walnuts, slow age-related decline of brain function.
3. Maintain Normal Blood Sugar Levels.
An epidemic of type 2 diabetes exists in much of the developed world. Diabetes occurs when the body is no longer able to break down sugars normally, causing levels of glucose in the blood to soar. These high blood sugar levels result in damage to the blood vessels. Researchers at the Rudolph Magnus Institute of Neuroscience in the Netherlands found a strong association between diabetes and declines in mental flexibility, memory and the speed of brain processing (see your pH balance)
4. Keep Cholesterol in check.
Elevated blood levels of cholesterol can clog arteries, raising the risk of heart attack. Even before damage to the heart shows up, abnormally high cholesterol levels may cause damage to brain cells. Preliminary evidence also suggests that efforts to lower cholesterol levels through a healthy diet may protect against age-related memory loss and dementia (see Liver and Fat Loss).
5. Support your health and mind with appropriate supplementing.
The evidence is becoming overwhelming that if we take care of our bodies we will also be caring for and protecting our mind - IF YOU THINK IT YOU CAN BE IT!
But there is a downside. Because we are living longer, we are more likely to suffer from age-related memory loss and dementia such as Alzheimer's disease. For many people, dementia is the worst fear of old age.
Research shows that the risk of some problems of the mind is inherited. But, there's also evidence that a healthy lifestyle and good medical care can help keep the mind, like the body healthy, active and vital into old age. Here are some ways to keep your mind as sharp as possible.
1. Stay physically active.
By keeping your heart, lungs, and blood vessels healthy, exercise helps ensure that the brain, including brain cells. receive the oxygen and nutrients they need.
A healthy circulatory system can be particularly important for a healthy mind. The brain only represents about 2% of body weight, but it uses about 25% of the energy we use. So maintaining a healthy cardiovascular system to deliver that energy is critically important. Keeping muscles fit is also important (see turning back the age clock). In 2009 a study of 900 seniors, researchers at Rush University Medical Centre in Chicago reported that those who maintained muscle strength were significantly less likely to go on to develop memory impairment or Alzheimer's disease.
Believe it or not but one of the best forms of exercise, particularly as we age, for supporting the brain is Dance
( see Dancing for Health).
2. Eating a diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables.
Researchers are just beginning to appreciate that many healthful compounds in plant-based foods help protect against chronic diseases. For a healthy brain, antioxidants such as vitamin C, E, and A may be especially important. Dozens of studies have shown that foods high in antioxidants, such as blueberries and walnuts, slow age-related decline of brain function.
3. Maintain Normal Blood Sugar Levels.
An epidemic of type 2 diabetes exists in much of the developed world. Diabetes occurs when the body is no longer able to break down sugars normally, causing levels of glucose in the blood to soar. These high blood sugar levels result in damage to the blood vessels. Researchers at the Rudolph Magnus Institute of Neuroscience in the Netherlands found a strong association between diabetes and declines in mental flexibility, memory and the speed of brain processing (see your pH balance)
4. Keep Cholesterol in check.
Elevated blood levels of cholesterol can clog arteries, raising the risk of heart attack. Even before damage to the heart shows up, abnormally high cholesterol levels may cause damage to brain cells. Preliminary evidence also suggests that efforts to lower cholesterol levels through a healthy diet may protect against age-related memory loss and dementia (see Liver and Fat Loss).
5. Support your health and mind with appropriate supplementing.
The evidence is becoming overwhelming that if we take care of our bodies we will also be caring for and protecting our mind - IF YOU THINK IT YOU CAN BE IT!
