Alzheimer's disease

“There’s a lot of hype in this field in terms of brain improvement. I did set out to find out what actually works and what we know. What we do with our bodies has a huge impact on our brains. Our brains are more like our hearts in that everything you do for your heart is thought to be equally as good or better for your brain. Exercise is the best studied thing you can do to your brain. It increases brain volume, produces new baby brain cells in grownup brains. Even when our muscles contract, it produces growth chemicals. Using your body can help your brain.” From the NYT article, The Talents of a Middle-Aged Brain.

A strong body and a strong mind can be obtained through exercise. Prior blog entries dealing with cognitive decline and exercise:

From this article Good Diets Fight Bad Alzheimer Genes:

 The researchers are exhilarated to find that a diet high in Omega 3 oils and low in cholesterol appears to significantly reduce the negative effects of the APOE4 gene in mouse models.

The APOE4 gene is a known risk factor for Alzheimer's and is present in 50% of all Alzheimer's patients.

Another quote:

The main take-away message here is that good diets can alleviate the effects of bad genes. Of course nutritionists have had this general idea for a while, but it's nice to be able to show that this approach can be applied to specifically counteract the negative effects of Alzheimer's disease-related genes,"

From this article Vitamin B12 link to Alzheimer's backed by study

A recent trial found that "brain shrinkage", which has been associated with Alzheimer's, was slowed in older people taking high doses of vitamins, including B12.

However, an Alzheimer's charity said despite the findings, published in the journal Neurology, it was "too early" to think about taking supplements.

It called for more research into the protective power of vitamins such as B12 - found in meat, fish and eggs

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Personal Trainers Austin

New Orleans Fitness Training

In past blog entries we have reported on various foods that have been linked to slowing cognitive decline.  Possible foods that might slow cognitive decline are:

Curry
Tuna and eggs
Fatty Fish
Green, black, and oolong tea
Walnuts
Blueberries
Omega-3 Essential Fatty Acids

From this AP article, More blood pressure worry: It's linked to dementia:

From this Science Now Daily News article A Connection Between Sleep and Alzheimer's?:

“A new study has found a connection between a lack of sleep and a biomolecule thought to be important in the development of Alzheimer's disease.

From this NYT article VITAL SIGNS RISKS; Midlife Cholesterol Tied to Alzheimer's:

Adults who had slightly elevated cholesterol in their early 40s were at greater risk of developing dementia decades later, a new study has found.

From this article Dementia link to 'mid-life ills' these bullets:

· Under-55s who smoke increase their risk of dementia five-fold.
· Diabetes will more than triple the risk of dementia.