A study published almost a
year ago in the journal Neurology held some surprising facts about
age-related brain disorders, Dr. Mehmet Oz explained during a luncheon
and discussion held last month in New York City called "Beautiful Minds:
An Assessment of the Nation's Brain Health."
Called the Nun Study, researchers gathered long-term data on more than
600 nuns in Minnesota and found that 21 percent of study participants
that had lesions and plaques in their brains -- key markings of memory
disorders such as
dementia and
Alzheimer's
-- and yet lived their lives with no outward signs of disease.
The nuns that had signs of
Alzheimer's but no
symptoms of the
disease had happier and more positive outlooks on life, were better
linguistics and had better dietary and exercise habits.
"What this shows is that we can change our brains," Dr. Oz said. "It's
not genetically programmed. ... The brain is plastic. We can do an awful
lot to change how our brain functions."
Dr. Oz gave the following tips for keeping your brain sharp:
-- Do brain boosters.
-- Daydream.
-- Be optimistic.
-- Get lost on purpose.
-- Hit your threshold -- do the Sunday crossword, followed by intervals
of intense exercise.
-- Take Algal DHA -- a vegetarian form of omega 3 fatty acids that is
sold in over-the-counter in drug and health food stores.
Dr. Majid Fotuhi, the director of the Center for Memory and Brain
Health, LifeBridge Health Brain and Spine Institute, Department of
Neurology, Sinai Hospital of Baltimore, said certain people have
mastered how to tap into their brains' ability to rejuvenate, thwarting
the aging process.
"The hippocampus shrinks with aging," said Fotuhi, who spoke at the
luncheon with Dr. Oz. "There is a lot of plasticity and things like
diabetes,
obesity,
sleep apnea, stroke and
Alzheimer's
really shrink the hippocampus."
But there are ways to keep the brain healthy even if someone is
genetically predisposed to diseases such as Alzheimer's and dementia.
The secret, said Fotuhi, is "tickling" the hippocampus, which plays an
important role in long-term memory and is one of the first region's of
the brain to suffer damage such as memory loss and disorientation due to
Alzheimer's disease.
Fotuhi, who is a clinical instructor at Harvard Medical School,
Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology and an assistant
professor of neurology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine,
recommends the following activities to "tickle" and grow the
hippocampus:
-- Tease and challenge your memory by memorizing phone and credit card
numbers, and learning the names of people, as well as exotic fruits and
plants.
-- Be creative.
-- Strengthen your heart by exercising and moving your body.
-- Laugh more often.
-- Eat smart. Fotuhi suggests lots of vegetables and a
"Mediterranean-style"
diet.
To test your brain health, click
here.
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By Mary Kearl
Salty and Fatty Foods
You always knew a
fatty and
salty
diet was bad for your heart, waist and more -- now research from the
June 2008 issue
of the "Journal of Alzheimer's Disease" reveals that it's probably bad
for your brain, too. Over an eight-week period researchers at the
Medical University of South Carolina fed a high-cholesterol diet to one
group of middle-aged rats and high-saturated-fat diet to another. While
weight gain and food intake were similar among both groups, the
saturated-fat fed rats made more memory errors in a maze test, but
researchers concluded that both diets can "profoundly impair memory."
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Memory Loss Causes You Don't Know About
By Mary Kearl
Salty and Fatty Foods
You always knew a
fatty and
salty
diet was bad for your heart, waist and more -- now research from the
June 2008 issue
of the "Journal of Alzheimer's Disease" reveals that it's probably bad
for your brain, too. Over an eight-week period researchers at the
Medical University of South Carolina fed a high-cholesterol diet to one
group of middle-aged rats and high-saturated-fat diet to another. While
weight gain and food intake were similar among both groups, the
saturated-fat fed rats made more memory errors in a maze test, but
researchers concluded that both diets can "profoundly impair memory."
Corbis
By Mary Kearl
Your Cell Phone
A Swedish study of memory recall in rats found that radiation from
cell phones affected the rodents' brain power. Researchers at the
Division of Neurosurgery, Lund University in Sweden found that rats that
were exposed to mobile phone radiation for two hours a week for more
than a year had poorer results on a memory test than those that had no
contact with mobile phone radiation. In earlier findings from the
researchers, microwave radiation from cell phones affected the brain's
ability to protect against nerve cell damage. The lead researcher
Henrietta Nittby has a cell phone but uses hands-free equipment to avoid
holding her phone up to her ear, according to ScienceDaily.com.
Jupiter Images
Your Diet
A new
study from Tufts University's psychology department pitted
the memory recall of low-calorie dieters against low-carb dieters, with
some mixed results. Initial testing conducted when the low-carb dieters
had eliminated carbohydrates from their daily intakes revealed that
going completely carb-free may lead to lower performances on
memory-based tasks. The observed impairments in memory improved after
participants reintroduced carbohydrates
-- though still sticking to a low-carb diet. Where low-carb dieters
have the upper-hand is in reporting less confusion and a greater
attention span compared with their low-cal dieter counterparts.
Getty Images
Salty and Fatty Foods
You always knew a fatty and salty
diet was bad for your heart, waist and more -- now research from the June 2008 issue
of the "Journal of Alzheimer's Disease" reveals that it's probably bad
for your brain, too. Over an eight-week period researchers at the
Medical University of South Carolina fed a high-cholesterol diet to one
group of middle-aged rats and high-saturated-fat diet to another. While
weight gain and food intake were similar among both groups, the
saturated-fat fed rats made more memory errors in a maze test, but
researchers concluded that both diets can "profoundly impair memory."
Corbis
Being Underweight
Obesity,
associated with a slew of health problems including heart
disease and diabetes,
may not lead to memory problems in old age, according to a 2007
study published in "Neurology." Over the course of the
six-year study, tests were administered to a group of about 4,000 people
over age 65, of whom nearly 25 percent were obese. As time passed,
neither obese nor overweight participants exhibited significant changes
in memory or cognitive function. In fact, underweight participants
demonstrated more brain drain over time -- which the authors note is
consistent with previous findings that weight loss or low (Body Mass
Index) BMI in old age may be a precursor of cognitive
decline or Alzheimer's
disease.
Getty Images
Taking Too Much Medicine
You may want to rethink taking more than the recommended dose of a
medication. Overuse of medicines may be the single biggest memory
snatcher or cause of confusion in older adults, according to Jan
Nissl, RN, BS.
Getty Images
Poor Sleep
People with sleep apnea -- a sleep condition where sufferers stop
breathing temporarily many times throughout the night -- score worse
than others on memory and cognitive tests, according to Harvard
Health Publications. Using a continuous positive airway
pressure (CPAP) machine -- a sleep-and-breathing aide -- helps improve
scores on memory tests if sleep is improved. This is corroborated by a
2008 study that found that people with sleep apnea show tissue loss in
brain regions that help store memory. Other studies have linked sleep
deprivation to short-term memory loss and poor sleep to trouble
remembering.
Jupiter Images
Menopause
Women often experience memory lapses and difficulty concentrating
leading up to and during menopause.
Estrogen therapy has been shown to help, but the Women's Health
Initiative found that this seemed to increase the risk of dementia and
cognitive problems, according to Harvard
Health Publications. A recent
study from the University of Illinois at Chicago found that
the verbal memory problems women experience in midlife may go hand in
hand with hot flashes. Other memory troubles -- shorter attention spans,
working memory and visual memory -- were not associated with hot
flashes, but poor sleep, often a product of nighttime hot flashes, did
impact these areas of memory.
Getty Images
Certain Surgeries
Weigh loss surgeries, such as gastric bypass, can lead to a vitamin
deficiency, which if left untreated, can cause memory loss and
confusion, according to a 2007 study published in "Neurology." Deafness,
vomiting and seizures were also reported symptoms. Another kind of
bypass surgery, of the coronary artery variety, can also lead to
confusion, fuzzy thinking, trouble concentrating, difficulty remembering
and solving problems, according to Harvard
Health Publications.
Getty Images
Experimenting With Drugs (Just One Time)
While you may know that alcohol
and drug use can lead to impaired judgment, coordination and
memory, some scientists assert that trying ecstasy just once could
damage your memory. Researchers from the University of Hertfordshire's
School of Psychology have found that compared with non-users those
who've tried ecstasy show significantly impaired memory and that the
amount of ecstasy consumed is largely irrelevant, according to reporting
from ScienceDaily.com.
Getty Images
