It is one of the few interventions proven to slow down age-related brain shrinkage.
Normally people’s brains shrink by about 5 percent every decade after the age of 40.
Normally people’s brains shrink by about 5 percent every decade after the age of 40.
Eating fish can slow down the brain’s shrinkage with age, new research finds.
Normally people’s brains shrink by about 5 percent every decade after the age of 40.
One or two servings of baked or broiled fish per week, though, counteract the effects of air pollution, which is one factor that tends to shrink the brain faster.
Fish must be baked or broiled, though, as frying fish destroys the vital omega-3 fatty acids.
A previous study has found that people who eat baked or broiled fish have, on average, 4.3 percent larger brain volumes in the areas responsible for memory and 14 percent larger volumes in areas responsible for cognition.
Dr Ka He, the study’s first author, said:
“Fish are an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids and easy to add to the diet.
Omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to fight inflammation and maintain brain structure in aging brains.
They have also been found to reduce brain damage caused by neurotoxins like lead and mercury.
So we explored if omega-3 fatty acids have a protective effect against another neurotoxin, the fine particulate matter found in air pollution.”
The study included 1,315 women who were asked about their diet, medical history and physical activity.
Brain scans showed that women with higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids had higher brain volume.
In fact, the more fish they ate, the bigger were their brains.
An area of the brain critical for memory, the hippocampus, was also larger in those who ate more fish.
Dr He said:
“Our findings suggest that higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids in the blood from fish consumption may preserve brain volume as women age and possibly protect against the potential toxic effects of air pollution.
It’s important to note that our study only found an association between brain volume and eating fish.
It does not prove that eating fish preserves brain volume.
And since separate studies have found some species of fish may contain environmental toxins, it’s important to talk to a doctor about what types of fish to eat before adding more fish to your diet.”
The study was published in the journal Neurology (Chen et al., 2020).
The juice reduced blood pressure by an average of five points.
The juice reduced blood pressure by an average of five points.
Drinking beetroot juice can help improve brain health and reduce blood pressure, new research finds.
Beetroot juice is rich in inorganic nitrate, like other foods including celery, spinach and lettuce.
Nitrate is turned into nitric oxide in the mouth, which helps regulate blood vessels and neurotransmitters.
With age, though, people tend to have a lower production of nitric oxide and this is linked to worse brain health and higher blood pressure.
For the study, researchers gave 26 people aged 70- to 80-years-old nitrate-rich beetroot juice to drink twice a day.
Compared with another period when they had a placebo drink, the beetroot juice reduced blood pressure by an average of five points.
Professor Anni Vanhatalo, the study’s first author, said:
“We are really excited about these findings, which have important implications for healthy aging.
Previous studies have compared the oral bacteria of young and older people, and healthy people compared to those with diseases, but ours is the first to test nitrate-rich diet in this way.
Our findings suggest that adding nitrate-rich foods to the diet—in this case via beetroot juice—for just ten days can substantially alter the oral microbiome (mix of bacteria) for the better.
Maintaining this healthy oral microbiome in the long term might slow down the negative vascular and cognitive changes associated with aging.”
The researchers looked at how the bacteria in the mouth changed after supplementation with beetroot juice.
The results showed that bacteria linked to lower inflammation increased after supplementation.
Now the researchers want to look at other age-groups, Professor Vanhatalo said:
“Our participants were healthy, active older people with generally good blood pressure.
Dietary nitrate reduced their blood pressure on average, and we are keen to find out whether the same would happen in other age groups and among people in poorer health.
We are working with colleagues in the University of Exeter Medical School to investigate interactions between the oral bacteria and cognition to better understand the how diet could be used to delay cognitive decline in older age.”
Apart from beetroot, celery, spinach and lettuce, other foods with very high levels of nitrate include rocket, chervil and cress.
Foods with high levels of nitrate include fennel, leek, parsley and celeriac.
Cabbages and turnips also have moderate levels of nitrate.
The study was published in the journal Redox Biology (Vanhatalo et al., 2021).
The brains and bodies of identical twins were compared over ten years.
Healthy brain aging can be accomplished with a combination of mental and social engagement, good nutrition and physical activity.
The drinks can induce metabolic syndrome to the same degree as the Western diet.
Low blood flow to the brain is linked to dementia, depression, bipolar disorder and a range of other mental health problems.
People who think like this have better mental health, cognitive function and fewer chronic diseases.
Larger brains are a strong sign of better cognitive health.
While older brains inevitably decline, their owners automatically adopt strategies to use them more efficiently.
While older brains inevitably decline, their owners automatically adopt strategies to use them more efficiently.
Older people’s minds are more focused and less restless than the young, new research finds.
On top of these advantages, the old suffer less from anxiety, compared with younger adults.
While older brains inevitably decline, their owners automatically adopt strategies to use them more efficiently than the young, scientists have found.
Instead of letting their minds wander, as younger people do, seniors are more motivated to focus.
Dr Paul Dockree, study co-author, said:
“‘Old and absentminded’ is a phrase, which is recognised in common parlance, but it does not hold universal truth.
Our research suggests that older adults can be more focused, less impeded by anxiety and less mentally restless than younger adults.
Importantly, older adults appear to mitigate the negative aspects of cognitive decline by increasing motivation and adopting more efficient strategies to suspend the wandering mind when focus is required.”
For the study, older and younger adults were given a series of cognitive tests.
The results revealed that the minds of younger adults wandered from their task 45 percent of the time, but older adults only wavered 27 percent of the time.
Older adults were also less anxious and depressed and displayed better overall focus.
Ms Catherine Moran, the study’s first author, said:
“Age-related cognitive decline in later life represents a leading cause of disease burden and loss of functional independence.
Despite these challenges, there is a consistent and perhaps, puzzling finding of reduced mind-wandering with advancing age.
We highlight the adaptive strategies and positive qualities adopted by older adults that led to a beneficial reduction in their mind-wandering and equivalent performance with younger adults.
Dissecting the mechanisms underlying different cognitive processes may be important indications of successful ageing.”
The study was published in the journal Psychology and Aging (Moran et al., 2021).
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