Tag Archives: dementia

Oprah’s 6 Foods That Feed Your Brain to Prevent Memory Loss

Want to think sharper? Prevent your brain from shrinking? (Yeah, that happens.) Keep your brain from aging? You can’t exactly take your brain to the weight room, but you can feed this muscle a diet rich in vitamins B, D, and E, choline, and omega-3 fatty acids. That’s why making sure your diet is rich in the six foods on Oprah’s Great Brain Grocery List will not only feed your mind, but feed your body with plenty of essential nutrients.

While there’s no cure for Alzeheimer’s or dementia, often times we can do a lot to prevent these memory diseases from taking hold of our lives. New research finds that memory decline sets in as early as our mid-40s, according to O Magazine.

Click through to see which foods you need to start tossing in your cart.

View Oprah's Great Brain Grocery List Slideshow

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Posted on July 20, 2024 by Natalie K

Grow Some Fresh Brain Cells and Ward off Alzheimer’s with Daily Exercise

Not only can exercise improve your health, but an increasing body of research is finding that exercise benefits your memory. The advantages may be as diverse as reducing the risk of cancer, spurring the growth of new brain cells, and preventing Alzheimer’s.

In a study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in 2024, researchers found an improvement in participants’ blood flow to a memory-related brain area as well as increased scores on memory tests after a three-month-long workout program.

Another study, conducted at Cambridge University in 2024, showed that running stimulates the brain to grow new cells in the hippocampus, a part of the brain associated with memory. Mice were given rewards of sugar if they nudged a square to their left, and nothing if they nudged a square on their right. One group then had access to running wheels, and after their exercise they outperformed sedentary mice’s ability to pick the right square by nearly fifty percent. Tissue samples also showed that they had hundreds of thousands of new brain cells. (more…)

Posted on July 17, 2024 by SarahS

Meditation is Fitness For Your Brain

Flitting about like a hummingbird, dancing around every thought, whim and compulsive urge is how many of us go about our day. With an extremely high level of external stimulation hitting us from all angles (the computer screen, cell phone beeps, television commercials, radio jingles, shimmering billboards, etc.), giving our brain a rest is getting harder and harder to do.

Some people just don’t take the time to sit quietly, and thoughtlessly yet mindfully examine their state of being. Many of us claim to be too busy, disinterested or skeptical of the benefits a little time out of mind can provide. But science continues to uncover the truth that sitting quietly, slowing our thoughts and relaxing our brain may do more for us than we think.

Meditation, from its rise in popularity in the late 1960’s to its revival among millions of modern peace seeking yogis, has proven beneficial on so many levels. It is not only physically relaxing, it also helps make us smarter and feel less stressed.

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Posted on February 27, 2024 by Jill

Top 10 Foods for Better Brain Health

Michael Gonzalez-Wallace is the author of Super Body, Super Brain. You can read more from him at www.superbodysuperbrain.com or pick up his book Super Body, Super Brain.

Who doesn’t want to get smarter? Who wants to look better or be healthier? Many recent studies have shown how specific nutrients have positive effects on the brain especially in those areas of the brain related to cognitive processing or feelings and emotions. Generally speaking, you want to follow a healthy diet for your brain that will lead to good blood flow, help maintain mental sharpness and reduce the risk of heart disease and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and dementia.

We know how foods play a great role in our brain. This is the conclusion of several studies led by a phenomenal neuroscientist at UCLA, Gomez Pinilla.

According to one study, the super fats your brain needs most are Omega 3 fatty acids. Your brain converts them into DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) which enhances neuronal communication and promotes neuronal growth.

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Posted on June 19, 2024 by GuestBlogger

New Alzheimer’s Therapy Gives Patients What They Want

By Jessie Gorges

Alzheimer’s patients, to put it delicately, can be difficult. Take Margaret Nance. The 96-year-old, stricken with Alzheimer’s, would often hit staff members and refuse to eat at her previous nursing home. That was until she moved to Beatitudes nursing home, located in Arizona.

Patients are given whatever they want at this non-traditional nursing home. Whether it be a candy bar or a cocktail before bed, “whatever your vice is, we’re your folks,” said Tena Alonzo, director of research at Beatitudes.

No doubt, this nursing home is unlike any other. Giving into the patients’ wishes is not a common procedure at other homes.

“The state tried to cite us for having chocolate on the nursing chart,” Alonzo said. “They were like, ‘It’s not a medication.’ Yes, it is. It’s better than Xanax.”

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Posted on January 4, 2024 by Health Buzz

Seniors Use Hip Hop Dancing to Stay Active

Dancing is a great way to let loose and work up a sweat, but for a group of senior citizens, hip hop dance is their way of staying young and healthy.

I have no doubt that some of you are skeptical. Leslie Alison, coach and choreographer, says her elderly students master all the same choreography as people half their age. She takes a lot more time with her elderly classes to provide them with more opportunity to learn and, of course, ensure that no one gets hurt. (more…)

Posted on October 27, 2024 by Theresa

Walking Wards off Mental Decline as We Age

Fitness experts have long told us that regular exercise, like walking, is a smart thing to do, but according to new research, that may be true in a much more literal sense.

According to a new study, walking may ward off mental decline and dementia. The researchers asked about 300 healthy people from 70- to 90-years-old to record how many blocks they walked in a week. Nine years later, the researchers took high-resolution brain scans of the volunteers and found that the more those people walked at the beginning of the study, the greater their brain volume.

The researchers did some follow-up about four years later and found that people who walked six to nine miles a week had half the risk of developing memory problems. (more…)

Posted on October 16, 2024 by Jason

New Coffee Perk: It May Prevent Mental Disease

coffeeMaybe it’s sad to say, but I have to have my coffee in the morning. Every morning. But, I think when it’s all said and done, I only average two cups a day (three on a “good day”). So, I’m not a raging caffeinated lunatic.

In fact, my habit may be a good thing… since there are actually purported health benefits to my morning joe.

A new study even suggests that coffee may keep your mental health sharp when you get to your golden years. This was a study long in the making. Swedish and Danish researchers tracked coffee consumption in a group of about 1,400 middle-aged men and women for an average of 21 years. (more…)

Posted on January 31, 2024 by Jason

Belly Fat and Dementia

It’s always been said that the fastest way to someone’s heart is through their stomach. That path through the stomach is now thought to be the fastest way to the brain- and mental illness. It’s a widely known fact that belly fat is the most dangerous fat you can carry. This is because the fat sits closely to most major organs and puts undue strain on your heart.

A new study, discussed on CBS Evening News last night, shares that middle-aged people with big bellies are more likely to develop dementia when they’re older.

If the risk of stroke, heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure weren’t enough to scare you into a extra sit-ups and healthier diet, maybe this news of dementia will.

The study is clear in stating that this is about belly fat, and not necessarily being overweight. Individuals with healthy weight and high amount of fat in the abdomen were 89% more likely to develop dementia. Those with belly fat were three times as likely to develop dementia as those with fat hips.

Posted on March 27, 2024 by Natalie K

Walk Away From Dementia

Exercise has many benefits. And, they’re probably further reaching than you realize. Take this article, for instance. Even mild exercise like walking can possibly save you from developing dementia in your old age. Just move, baby!

Posted on December 23, 2023 by Jason