| |
September 2012
Yet another trial has failed to find significant memory-protecting benefits from ginkgo biloba, leading an accompanying editorial to suggest users of the herbal extract “might now consider letting it go.” French researchers tested 120 mg of ginkgo twice a day versus placebo among 2,854 patients, age 70 and up, free of dementia but who had reported memory problems to their physicians. After 5 years of followup, 61 of those randomly assigned to ginkgo and 73 in the placebo group developed dementia — a difference scientists said was not statistically significant. The study was limited, however, by the surprisingly low rate of dementia, regardless of group, among the 2,487 who completed the trial. The findings further confirm the negative results of the large Ginkgo Evaluation of Memory trial. — The Lancet Neurology…
Read>>
|
August 2012
Maybe the theory that fish-oil pills can help protect your brain is, well, a little fishy. A new review of the evidence for a protective benefit from the omega-3 fatty acids in fish found no significant difference between fish-oil supplements and placebo. The analysis, for the prestigious Cochrane Review, looked at 3 high-quality clinical trials totaling 3,536 participants. Some previous observational studies have suggested that omega-3s might protect against cognitive decline, and that possibility makes sense, since fatty acids play an important role in brain health. But the review of clinical trials saw only tiny, statistically insignificant differences in performance on tests of memory, executive function and mental processing speed. One trial also used a test called the mini-mental status evaluation (MMSE), in which participants given omega-3s scored only 0.07 points apart from those on placebo. The trials used dosages of the omega-3s found in fish oil ranging from 400-700 mg and lasted from 6 to 40 months. — Cochrane Review…
Read>>
|
June 2012
That bacon double cheeseburger might be as bad for your brain as it is for your heart. New findings on 6,183 women over age 65 participating in the Women’s Health Study show that saturated fat may contribute to decline in cognition and memory, while healthy monounsaturated fat could actually protect your brain. “When looking at changes in cognitive function, what we found is that the total amount of fat intake did not really matter, but the type of fat did,” researchers said. Participants completed food questionnaires at the start of the study and were tested for overall cognitive function and verbal memory, then retested for mental abilities twice more over 4 years. Women who ate the most saturated fat had worse scores than those consuming the least and were more likely to decline over time. Those consuming the most monounsaturated fat, like that in olive oil, scored higher initially and were at lower risk of mental decline. — Annals of Neurology
…
Read>>
|
May 2012
If your chewing gum’s minty freshness is starting to fade, think fast. Researchers at Cardiff University in the UK have challenged a trio of prior studies linking gum chewing to better short-term memory performance, suggesting that any brain boost comes from the gum’s fleeting flavor, not the chewing. Theirs is the first study, scientists say, to employ “a classic test of short-term recall capacity”: repeating a short string of letters. The study asked 40 students to chew gum while trying to remember and repeat a sequence of seven random letters, as well as while tasked to identify the missing item in a series of numbers. Both tests found poorer scores while chewing gum. Similar negative effects on short-term recall were seen when participants were asked to tap their fingers while repeating the missing-item test. Researchers noted that their tests all used flavorless gum, unlike previous studies, but pointed out that most gum loses its flavor after only a few minutes of chewing: “It seems advisable that chewing gum is only considered a performance enhancer as long as flavor lasts.” — Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology
…
Read>>
|
May 2012
The case for berries’ brain benefits was recently bolstered by a study the authors call the largest and longest of its kind. Scientists at Brigham and Women’s Hospital analyzed data on berry consumption among 16,010 women age 70 and older participating in the Nurses’ Health Study. The women completed dietary questionnaires every four years beginning in 1980, prior to cognitive testing; they were tested for memory and other cognitive function every two years between 1995 and 2001. The study found that women who consumed two or more half-cup servings of strawberries or one or more half-cups of blueberries per week saw slower mental decline — equivalent to up to two and a half years of delayed cognitive aging. Intakes of anthocyanins and total flavonoids (antioxidant compounds that give berries their vivid colors) were also associated with slower cognitive aging. Researchers concluded, “Our findings have significant public health implications, as increasing berry intake is a fairly simple dietary modification to reduce memory decline in older adults.” — Annals of Neurology
…
Read>>
|
May 2012
Previous studies have shown that exercising your body and your mind can help protect your memory as you age. Now a new Mayo Clinic study has found a synergistic benefit from doing both. Combining mentally stimulating activities, such as using a computer, with moderate exercise decreased the odds of memory loss more than either activity alone. Researchers studied 926 Minnesotans, ages 70 to 93, who completed questionnaires on physical exercise and computer use. Moderate physical exercise was defined as brisk walking, hiking, aerobics, strength training, golfing without a golf cart, swimming, doubles tennis, yoga, martial arts, using exercise machines and weightlifting. Among mentally stimulating activities participants were asked about, the study singled out computer use because of its popularity. Of the study participants who did not exercise or use a computer, 20.1% were cognitively normal and 37.6% showed signs of mild cognitive impairment. Among participants who did both, 36% were cognitively normal and only 18.3% showed signs of impairment. — Mayo Clinic Proceedings
…
Read>>
|
May 2012
Pumping iron might also be good for your aging brain, according to new findings at the University of British Columbia. In a 6-month randomized trial of 86 women, ages 70-80, suffering mild cognitive impairment, those assigned to resistance training using machines and free weights significantly improved their scores on memory tests. The study compared resistance training with aerobic exercise (an outdoor walking program) and a control group that did only balance and stretching activities. The aerobic group got fitter but saw no memory benefits. In MRI scans of 22 participants, those in the weight-lifting group also saw significant functional changes in areas of the brain associated with cognition and memory. Researchers concluded that the study provides “novel evidence” of the benefits of strength training for those suffering mild cognitive impairment. — Archives of Internal Medicine
…
Read>>
|
April 2012
Grape juice might give your brain a boost, a new study reports. Researchers from the University of Cincinnati and grape-juice producer Welch Foods tested Concord grape juice versus a placebo beverage on 21 volunteers, average age 76, suffering mild cognitive impairment. The amount of juice varied with the weight of participants, so a 120-pound person received 12 ounces daily while a 200-pound participant drank 21 ounces a day. After 16 weeks, those in the grape-juice group scored better on tests of memory than those drinking the placebo. MRI testing showed greater activation in key parts of the brain, suggesting increased blood flow. The research supports 2006 findings at Tufts suggesting that Concord grape juice, which is high in polyphenol compounds, reversed brain aging in rats. — Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
…
Read>>
|
March 2012
Does eating fish help protect your brain? Previous studies of the brain effects of the omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil have been inconsistent, possibly because they’ve relied on food-frequency questionnaires that require subjects to recall what they ate. So UCLA researchers took blood samples from 1,575 participants in the long-running Framingham Offspring cohort to measure levels of the key omega-3s in fish (EPA and DHA). These were then compared to performance on cognitive tests and MRI scans of the brain. Participants with the lowest omega-3 levels scored significantly worse on tests of visual memory, executive function and abstract thinking than those in the top three-quarters of omega-3. Lower blood levels of omega-3s were also associated with smaller brain volumes — “equivalent to about 2 years of structural brain aging,” scientists concluded. While cautioning that the study was only a snapshot and didn’t track participants’ brains over time, researchers concluded, “We feel that omega-3s reduce vascular pathology and thus reduce the rate of brain aging.” — Neurology
…
Read>>
|
March 2012
After your fish dinner, maybe your brain would like some chocolate for dessert. A new study — funded by Barry Callebaut, the world’s largest chocolate maker — finds that a chocolate drink high in flavanols (the antioxidants in dark chocolate associated with heart health) enabled subjects to complete memory-related tasks with less brain strain. The randomized, controlled, double-blind trial compared three strengths of flavanol-laden beverages over 30 days on 63 volunteers, ages 40-65. No difference was seen in tests of mental accuracy and reaction time. When subjects’ brain activity while tackling the tests was monitored with CT scans, however, those in the middle and top groups of flavanol supplementation showed less mental effort. The amount of cocoa flavanols in the tested beverages ranged from 500 mg in the top group, in 10 grams of dark, high-flavanol chocolate, to almost zero. — Physiology and Behavior
…
Read>>
|
March 2012
Counting calories could do more than just help shrink your waistline. A new Mayo Clinic study suggests that eating too much may increase the risk for memory loss in people age 70 and older. Researchers compared the calorie intakes of 163 people suffering mild cognitive impairment (MCI) with 1,070 normal control subjects. Those consuming the most calories — more than 2,143 per day — were almost twice as likely to have MCI than participants eating the least, fewer than 1,526 daily calories. The higher the amount of calories consumed each day, the higher the risk of MCI, which is the stage between normal memory loss that comes with aging and early Alzheimer’s disease. The results were the same after adjusting for history of stroke, diabetes, amount of education and other factors that can affect risk of memory loss. The findings will be presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology in April.
…
Read>>
|
December 2011
You already know that eating fish is healthy for your heart, but new research suggests it may also be good for your head. In a study presented at a meeting of the Radiological Society of North America, older adults who ate fish at least once a week — baked or broiled, not fried — had a greater volume of gray matter in the brain in areas important in Alzheimer’s disease. Fish consumption was also associated with sharply lower rates of developing mild cognitive impairment or dementia. University of Pittsburgh scientists studied on 260 people, average age 71, who completed dietary questionnaires, underwent MRI scans and had followup cognitive testing. Only 3.2% of those with the highest fish intake and greatest preservation of gray matter were found to have developed mild cognitive impairment or dementia. That was a stark contrast to the 30.8% of non-fish eaters who’d suffered such cognitive decline. Average scores for “working memory,” a brain function seriously impaired in Alzheimer’s, were significantly better among weekly fish eaters.
…
Read>>
|
September 2011
Getting enough antioxidant vitamins and minerals might help protect your aging brain, according to a new French study. Researchers looked at 4,447 participants, initially ages 45-60, in the Supplementation in Vitamins and Mineral Antioxidants randomized trial from 1994-2002. In 2007-2009, participants underwent a battery of cognitive tests. Those who had been in the antioxidant supplement group scored better in episodic memory and verbal memory (only nonsmokers or those with initial low vitamin C). That group had received 120 mg of vitamin C, 6 mg of beta-carotene, 30 mg of vitamin E, 100 micrograms of selenium and 20 mg of zinc daily. The results, researchers said, support the importance of getting adequate antioxidant nutrients. — American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
…
Read>>
|
July 2011
Two new studies add to the evidence that staying physically active helps protect your brain — and fill in some gaps in that research. Previous studies linking activity to reduced risk of cognitive decline have generally focused on healthy people and relied on self-reports of exercise. In one of the new studies, however, French researchers looked at data from the Women’s Antioxidant Cardiovascular Study on 2,809 women with coronary risk factors. Cognition and memory were assessed in a series of telephone interviews over more than 7 years. The equivalent of a daily 30-minute walk, the study found, was associated with lower risk of cognitive impairment, and as activity levels increased, the rate of cognitive decline decreased. The second new study tackled the self-reporting problem by measuring metabolic activity via how much water a person loses. Among the 197 participants, average age 74.8, those with the highest energy expenditure had the lowest incidence of cognitive impairment over 5 years. — Archives of Internal Medicine
…
Read>>
|
June 2011
A new clinical trial found that a diet low in saturated fat and simple carbohydrates improved biomarkers associated with the risk of developing dementia that leads to Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers randomly divided 20 healthy older adults and 29 with mild cognitive impairment into two diet groups: One followed a diet low in saturated fat and simple carbs (such as those with a high glycemic index), dubbed the LOW diet, while the other group ate foods high in saturated fats and simple carbs, labeled the HIGH diet. After four weeks, healthy participants on the LOW diet decreased biomarkers in cerebrospinal fluid associated with dementia, as well as total cholesterol; those already suffering cognitive impairment, however, didn’t benefit. All those on the LOW diet improved performance on delayed visual-recall tests of memory, but not on other cognitive measures. Researchers said the results suggest that changes in the whole diet, not just specific foods, may help ward off cognitive decline. — Archives of Neurology
…
Read>>
|
|
|
|