Turn Up Your Brain Power

As the body grows older, so does the brain. Around age 50, you might find it difficult to remember phone numbers or where you left your car at the mall. Just as judicious day-to-day choices can slow down the aging of the body, they also slow down the aging of the brain. Lifestyle, diet, attitude, and smart supplementation can keep your memory sharp well into your 70s, 80s, and beyond.

What's to Blame?
A host of factors can sabotage brain function: insomnia, anxiety, depression, stroke, Alzheimer's disease, and other forms of dementia. By age 50, blood flow to the brain has dropped by about 20 percent, and that means reduced access to oxygen and nutrients needed by the brain.

Other culprits in memory loss include:

• Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
• Metabolic problems including diabetes, thyroid disease, or failure of the lungs, liver, or kidneys
• Over-the-counter and prescription medications
• Vitamin B12 deficiency
• Alcoholism
• Infections such as encephalitis and meningitis

Smart Choices
Lifestyle choices affect the way you feel, think, and remember. Take the following advice to heart-and head:

Get moving. Higher levels of physical activity were linked to less cognitive decline in a study of more than 18,000 women. Research shows that exercise seems to protect the brain from cellular aging.

Get a little help from your friends. Friendship is not only emotionally rewarding, but it's also essential for brain function. Social isolation has been linked to an increased risk of dementia, while social engagement is associated with a decreased risk.

Use it or lose it. Learning a new language, doing crossword puzzles, reading, and other stimulating mental activities may stave off cognitive decline. Studies link higher levels of intellectual activity with a lower occurrence of Alzheimer's disease.

Relax. Stress raises levels of the hormone cortisol, and cortisol "fries" billions of brain cells. Cortisol can also affect brain function by throwing blood sugar levels off balance.

Stop smoking. One study investigated the effects of smoking on older individuals with normal mental function. After five years, the smokers exhibited greater memory loss than their nonsmoking counterparts.

Fuel Your Mind
Your brain craves balanced nutrition as much as the rest of your body does. Ray Sahelian, MD, suggests adding more omega-3-rich fish as well as fresh produce to your diet, noting that fresh vegetables "have a lot of carotenoids and flavonoids that help improve circulation to the brain." And be sure to keep your brain hydrated by drinking at least six glasses of water every day.
What to avoid? Excessive alcohol and caffeine, which can speed up the aging of the brain.

Brain-Protective Supplements
Antioxidants (including zinc, selenium, and vitamins A, C, and E) appear to protect the brain. One study followed 2,082 elderly people with no signs of age-related cognitive decline at their initial interviews: After seven years, those who took an antioxidant supplement showed a 34 percent lower risk of cognitive impairment than those who did not.

Also try these brain-boosting supplements.

• B vitamins. Especially folate and vitamins B6 and B12-keep homocysteine levels in check. When B-vitamin levels are low, homocysteine levels can become dangerously high. Besides compromising cardiovascular health, high homocysteine increases the risk of mental decline.
• Phosphatidylserine (PS) is a phospholipid that occurs naturally in the brain. Studies have confirmed supplemental PS's capacity for "improving memory, learning, concentration, word recall, and mood in middle-aged and elderly subjects with dementia or age-related cognitive decline."
• Acetyl-L-carnitine has been shown to slow down or prevent age-related cognitive decline.
• Fish oil, a rich source of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), is also recommended. One study investigated the impact of the omega-3 fatty acids in fish on more than 1,600 individuals between 45 and 70 years old. After five years, those with a higher intake of these fatty acids were at lower risk for cognitive impairment.

Botanicals for the Brain
The following herbal extracts help combat age-related cognitive decline:

Garlic (Allium sativum) addresses the factors that contribute to both heart disease and dementia: high cholesterol and high homocysteine levels, inflammation, and high blood pressure.

Ginkgo (G. biloba) has been researched exhaustively for its effects on brain function. One study investigated the impact of ginkgo on 262 volunteers aged 60 and older with no reported history of serious memory problems. After six weeks, participants reported-and researchers verified-improved memory.

Green and black tea (Camellia sinensis) contain powerful antioxidants that may cut your risk of Alzheimer's disease. According to one study, these teas block the progression of brain chemicals associated with the development of Alzheimer's.

Hawthorn (Crataegus, various species) boosts circulation, increasing the volume of blood, oxygen, and nutrients to the brain.

Selected sources: Breaking the Age Barrier by Sherry Torkos, BSc, Phm, and Farid Wassef, RPh, CCN ($20.99, Viking Canada, 2003) } "Dietary Intake of Fatty Acids and Fish in Relation to Cognitive Performance at Middle Age" by S. Kalmijn, Neurology, 1/04 } "The Effect of Social Engagement on Incident Dementia" by J. S. Saczynski et al., Am J Epidemiol, 3/06 } "Garlic Reduces Dementia and Heart Disease Risk" by C. Borek, J Nutr, 3/06 } Personal communication: Ray Sahelian, MD, 3/24/06, www.raysahelian.com } Saving Your Brain by Jeff Victoroff, MD ($14.95, Bantam Books, 2002)