Tweet
- Photo: Foxtongue / Flickr
If you’re keen to protect yourself from memory loss in the future, consider the role that exercise and diet can play in preventing ailments like Alzheimer’s disease. There is no cure for Alzheimer’s disease – and many other mental health problems – at this point and the prevention experts are advising people to adopt healthier lifestyles in order to have independent and happy golden years.
Keep fit
“Regular physical activity is probably the best means we have of preventing Alzheimer’s disease today,’ says Dr Peterson of the Mayo Clinic’s Alzheimer’s Research Center.
Invest in good running shoes and take up walking twenty minutes a day or whatever aerobic exercise you prefer. This is because a study has shown that people over 65 who were not in good physical shape at the beginning of the study had a much higher risk of losing their memories in later years.
Eat brain foods
A poor diet can lead to Alzheimer’s disease. The Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease published a finding that Alzheimer’s risk is reduced by 34 percent by eating a Mediterranean diet. This diet is a vegetable and fruit based diet and includes olive oil, beans, nuts, grains and small amounts of animal protein.
Eat more greens especially broccoli, cabbage, kale, brussel sprouts, cauliflower and spinach. Dr Joseph of Tufts University found that rats on a diet of spinach had improved learning and memory. Also, berries like blueberries have antioxidants that help counter free radical damage and so help slow possible memory loss.
If you’re not getting enough Vitamin C or E in your diet, eat more strawberries, grapefruit, oranges, kiwi fruit, peppers, nuts and sunflower seeds. Avoid sugary foods, refined carbohydrates and saturated fats.
Supplement
Take a daily supplement as well as omega 3 fatty acids, coenzyme Q10, Vitamin C and Vitamin B12. Get sunlight for Vitamin D or take a supplement. A study showed that a higher vitamin E intake led to a lower incidence of Alzheimer’s disease and other mental health issues.
Phosphatidylserine (PS) ,a derivative of soy lecithin, also has the ability to stop the mental health decline found in normal aging. It is found in soy, rice and green leafy vegetables but can be supplemented with a 100 mg pill taken daily.
Choline, a B vitamin, slows the aging process and improves neuron functioning. It can be found naturally in egg yolks, soy, milk, peanuts and chicken liver.
Remember to contact your doctor before taking supplements, though, because they can have undesirable side-effects for certain people
Stay calm
Find time to relax and de-stress. Over time, excess cortisol from stress causes neuron connections to de-generate. Elderly people with high cortisol levels have a higher risk of developing dementia as new brain cells are prevented from growing. Talk it out, walk, garden, write, listen to music, meditate, dance, cook, do yoga or whatever it may be that makes you feel at peace within yourself.
And finally, stay connected and mentally curious. Here are ten mental exercises to help prevent Alzheimer’s, which means keeping your independence and your mind bright and beautiful, now and into the future.
Leave a Response