Originally published September 22 2005
Nutrition for the mind as well as the body
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Older people can fight memory loss and help improve mental function by eating a diet rich in antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids found in high levels in fish, doing aerobic exercise, avoiding high levels of stress and maintaining an active social life.
Over the last decade, it has become clear that just as changes in diet and exercise will improve physical fitness, the 'ageing' brain also benefits from simple changes in environment and lifestyle.
And as people live longer, protecting against the decline in mental function is becoming increasingly important, Professor Ian Robertson, director of the Institute of Neuroscience at Trinity College Dublin, told those attending the British Association for the Advancement of Science meeting in Dublin.
"There is very strong evidence, particularly in the over-50s, that the degree to which you maintain your mental faculties depends on a handful of quite simple environmental factors," added Professor Robertson.
Aerobic fitness is one of the best ways of boosting activity and structure of brain cells, he said, citing a training programme that showed over 60s had an improved mental ability after only four months, while people who continued such a programme for three years avoided the drop in mental sharpness experienced by people not exercising.
A fellow Trinity professor, Marina Lynch, further emphasised the role of the diet, pointing to new research into fish oils.
A Scottish study published last year found that cognitive function at age 64 was better in a subgroup of persons who received a fish oil supplement compared with a subgroup which received no supplement.
"Studies have identified the anti-inflammatory properties as well as the restorative qualities of omega-3," she said.
Lynch said the biggest surprise of the latest discovery was that omega-3 appeared not only to replace anti-inflammatories that dwindle with age but also to stem a corresponding rise in chemicals that cause the cell inflammation in the first place.
"These effects seem to cobble together to restore the ability of people to maintain memory as they grow older," added Professor Lynch.
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