This Drink May Cut Dementia Risk In Half

It can help clear the brain of toxins.

It can help clear the brain of toxins.

Drinking moderate amounts of alcohol is linked to a 45% lower risk of dementia, research concludes.

Moderate drinkers — those who drink no more than around a bottle and half of wine a week — saw the reduced risk in comparison to those who do not drink.

Moderate drinkers also had a lower risk of dementia than those who drank heavily.

As alcohol intake increases, so does the risk of dementia.

A couple of alcoholic drinks per day, though, can help clear the brain of toxins, some research finds.

Low levels of alcohol — the equivalent of around 2.5 standard drinks per day — may help to remove waste linked to Alzheimer’s disease and reduce inflammation in the brain.

The study’s authors write:

“We show that both long term alcohol abstinence and excessive alcohol consumption may increase the risk of dementia.

Given the number of people living with dementia is expected to triple by 2050 and the absence of a cure, prevention is key.”

The study’s conclusions come from an analysis of 9,087 people who were followed for around 23 years between 1985 and 1993.

Dr Sevil Yasar, writing in a linked editorial, said:

“The most intriguing finding from this study was the significantly increased risk of dementia among abstainers, including long term abstainers and participants who became abstainers, and that association was only present in those who abstained from wine.”

Dr Yasar continued:

“Wine, in addition to alcohol, contains polyphenolic compounds, which have been associated with neuroprotective effects on both neurodegenerative and vascular pathways, and with cardioprotective effects through inflammation reduction, inhibition of platelet aggregation, and alteration of lipid profile.”

One limitation of the study is that people who abstain from alcohol may have a history of overindulgence.

Along with the study design, this makes it difficult to draw firm conclusions about causality.

The study was published in the BMJ (Sabia et al., 2018).

The Common Food That Shrinks Your Brain

The food that shrinks your brain and leads to dementia.

The food that shrinks your brain and leads to dementia.

The average person eats the equivalent of an extra burger meal every day compared with 50 years ago, research finds.

A burger, fries and soft drink works out to an extra 650 calories per day.

That is around 30 percent more calories than people need.

The consequences for people’s waistlines and their brains is devastating.

Brain health declines dramatically as a result of poor nutrition, especially early in life.

One of the main culprits is sugar, which accelerates neurodegeneration and impairs cognitive function.

People need to eat well and exercise early in life to avoid brain shrinkage and dementia later on.

Professor Nicolas Cherbuin, the study’s first author, said:

“People are eating away at their brain with a really bad fast-food diet and little-to-no exercise.

We’ve found strong evidence that people’s unhealthy eating habits and lack of exercise for sustained periods of time puts them at serious risk of developing type 2 diabetes and significant declines in brain function, such as dementia and brain shrinkage.”

The conclusions come from a review of around 200 studies carried out around the world.

Fully 30 percent of the world’s population is obese now, and 10 percent will have type 2 diabetes by 2030.

Professor Cherbuin said:

“The link between type 2 diabetes and the rapid deterioration of brain function is already well established.

But our work shows that neurodegeneration, or the loss and function of neurons, sets in much, much earlier—we’ve found a clear association between this brain deterioration and unhealthy lifestyle choices.

The damage done is pretty much irreversible once a person reaches midlife, so we urge everyone to eat healthy and get in shape as early as possible—preferably in childhood but certainly by early adulthood.”

The effort to improve diet is coming too late for many, said Professor Cherbuin:

“What has become really apparent in our investigation is that advice for people to reduce their risk of brain problems, including their risk of getting dementia, is most commonly given in their 60s or later, when the ‘timely prevention’ horse has already bolted.

Many people who have dementia and other signs of cognitive dysfunction, including shrinking brains, have increased their risk throughout life by eating too much bad food and not exercising enough.

One of the best chances people have of avoiding preventable brain problems down the track is to eat well and exercise from a young age.

The message is simple, but bringing about positive change will be a big challenge.

Individuals, parents, medical professionals and governments all have an important role to play.”

The study was published in the journal Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology (Cherbuin & Walsh, 2019).

This Change In Personality Indicates Dementia

Older people given personality tests were followed for many years to see who developed dementia.

Older people given personality tests were followed for many years to see who developed dementia.

Increases in the personality trait of neuroticism are a sign that someone will go on to develop dementia, research finds.

Neuroticism is a personality trait that is strongly linked to anxiety, sadness, irritability and self-consciousness.

People higher in neuroticism find it harder to deal with stress and tend to see threats everywhere.

The conclusions come from analysis of data from almost two thousand people in the US and the Netherlands.

Older people given personality tests were followed for many years to see who developed dementia.

The study’s authors explain:

“These findings provide reliable evidence of a consistent pattern of neuroticism increases preceding dementia diagnosis, and, further, suggest that change in neuroticism may occur early in the disease process.

Additionally, these results indicate that individuals who remain undiagnosed have markedly different trajectories of neuroticism compared to individuals not diagnosed with incident dementia or MCI [mild cognitive impairment].”

Along with increasing neuroticism, the researchers also found that people who went on to be diagnosed with dementia also saw decreases in extraversion.

They write:

“Assessments of extraversion, conscientiousness, openness and agreeableness were also available…

Our analyses revealed significant decreases in extraversion only, and solely for individuals with MCI [mild cognitive impairment].

These results may indicate that individuals with MCI might feel more cognitively challenged in the presence of others, possibly leading to avoidance of social activity.”

The study was published in the The Journals of Gerontology (Yoneda et al., 2018).

The Popular Supplement That Fights Alzheimer’s

Around 1 in 6 people over 70 have mild cognitive impairment. About half of these people will go on to develop Alzheimer’s within five years.

Around 1 in 6 people over 70 have mild cognitive impairment. About half of these people will go on to develop Alzheimer’s within five years.

Alzheimer’s patients given omega-3 supplements retain their memory function, a small study has found.

Eighteen patients with the debilitating disease were given the omega-3 supplements morning and night for six months.

In total, patients had 2.3 g of omega-3 supplements each day.

They were compared to a group of 15 who acted as a control.

Dr Yvonne Freund-Levi, study co-author, explained the results:

“We can see that the memory function of the patients in the group that had taken omega-3 is stable, whereas the patients in the control group have deteriorated.

That’s what the memory tests show.”

The researchers also looked at biological markers in the patients’ spinal fluid.

This however, did not produce a difference between the two groups, said Dr Freund-Levi:

“…we can’t see any differences between the groups when we look at the various biomarkers in the spinal fluid samples.”

This small study is part of a larger programme looking at over 200 patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease.

They have so far found that omega-3 does transfer from the supplements to the brain.

In the present study, they also found that omega-3 was linked to biomarkers related to damaged nerve cells.

Dr Freund-Levi said:

“Even if this data isn’t enough for us to change our recommendations to patients at this time, it is an interesting material for researchers to build on.”

As this is a small study, it is wise to be cautious, said Dr Freund-Levi:

“We are cautious about giving recommendations, but we know that starting early is by far the best thing – it is difficult to influence the disease at a later stage.

The best piece of advice we have to offer at the moment is to be physically active and to include omega-3 in your diet – in the form of oily fish or as supplements.”

The study was published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease (Tofiq et al., 2021).

Boost Memory: 10 Psychology Studies To Know

Boosts in all types of memory come from these simple activities.

Boosts in all types of memory come from these simple activities.

1. Draw it

Drawing pictures of words helps build stronger and more reliable memories, research finds.

The quality of the drawings themselves does not matter, the study also found.

This suggests everyone can benefit from the technique, whatever their artistic talent.

2. Close your eyes

Closing your eyes really can help jog the memory, a study finds.

Eyewitness to a crime remembered twice as many details using this technique.

The results should be useful for helping eyewitnesses to crimes remember more details when questioned by police.

3. Imagine how it relates to you

Imagining how things relate to yourself helps to boost recall, psychological research finds.

The study tested people with and without memory problems and found it could help both.

The results showed that whether people had memory problems or not, self-imagining was the most effective strategy.

Compared with the baseline condition, the self-imagining strategy almost tripled what people could remember.

4. 40 seconds rehearsal

Rehearsing a memory for just 40 seconds could be the key to permanent recall, a study finds.

When rehearsing a memory, the same area of the brain is activated as when laying it down, psychologists found.

This brain region — the posterior cingulate — is also the part that is damaged in Alzheimer’s disease.

Brain scans revealed that the more the activity matched when watching and rehearsing, the more people could remember.

5. Run barefoot

Running barefoot improves memory more than running with shoes on, a study finds.

The benefits may come from the extra demands placed on the brain while barefoot running.

For example, you have to avoid stones and anything else that may damage your feet.

The type of memory tested in the study is called ‘working memory’.

The brain uses working memory to recall and process information.

6. Handwrite it

Writing by hand strengthens memory in comparison to writing on a real or virtual keyboard, research finds.

The motor feedback from the process of writing along with the sense of touching paper and pen helps people learn.

Areas of the brain vital to language are more strongly activated by the physical activity.

7. Lift weights

One single workout with weights can immediately enhance long-term memory by around 20%, according to a study.

While it’s now well-established that months of aerobic exercise can enhance memory, this is the first study examining the effects of a relatively short amount of resistance training.

The reason this works is that exercise puts us into a heightened state, after which, memories — especially emotional ones — are more likely to stick.

8, 9 & 10. Childhood activities

Climbing a tree can improve working memory by 50%, a study finds.

The same is true of other dynamic activities like balancing on a beam, carrying awkward weights and navigating around obstacles.

Dr Tracy Alloway, one of the study’s authors, said:

“Improving working memory can have a beneficial effect on so many areas in our life, and it’s exciting to see that proprioceptive activities can enhance it in such a short period of time.”

.

MIND Diet Is One Of 5 Changes That Reduce Alzheimer’s Risk by 60%

Following four of the five lifestyle factors reduced Alzheimer’s risk by 60 percent, the study found.

Following four of the five lifestyle factors reduced Alzheimer’s risk by 60 percent, the study found.

Making four out of five critical lifestyle changes can reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s by 60 percent, research finds.

Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia: one-in-ten Americans over the age of 65 has the devastating disease.

The behaviours are limiting alcohol intake, a high-quality diet, exercise for brain and body and not smoking:

  1. A high quality diet involves eating something like the MIND diet.
  2. Giving up smoking — even after 60 — benefits physical and cognitive health.
  3. 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise is a good weekly target.
  4. Limit alcohol to light or moderate intake. In the US, moderate drinking is no more than 2 standard drinks per day for men and 1 for women (i.e. 2 glasses of wine for men and 1 for women).
  5. Keep the mind active with intellectually engaging tasks, such as hobbies or social activities.

Even following just two or three of these lifestyle changes is linked to reducing Alzheimer’s risk by 37 percent.

However, the more lifestyle factors people adhere to, the lower their risk of dementia.

Dr Richard J. Hodes, Director of the National Institute on Aging, said:

“This observational study provides more evidence on how a combination of modifiable behaviors may mitigate Alzheimer’s disease risk.

The findings strengthen the association between healthy behaviors and lower risk, and add to the basis for controlled clinical trials to directly test the ability of interventions to slow or prevent development of Alzheimer’s disease.”

The study included 1,845 people from whom data on diet, lifestyle factors, genetics and cognitive function was collected.

Following four of the five lifestyle factors reduced Alzheimer’s risk by 60 percent, the study found.

Dr Dallas Anderson, who also works at the NIA, said:

“This population-based study helps paint the picture of how multiple factors are likely playing parts in Alzheimer’s disease risk.

It’s not a clear cause and effect result, but a strong finding because of the dual data sets and combination of modifiable lifestyle factors that appear to lead to risk reduction.”

The study was published in the journal Neurology (Dhana et al., 2020).

Canola Oil Linked To Alzheimer’s Disease

Canola oil, known as rapeseed oil in the UK, was linked to poor learning, weight gain and possibly Alzheimer’s.

Canola oil, known as rapeseed oil in the UK, was linked to poor learning, weight gain and possibly Alzheimer’s.

Canola oil — a widely used vegetable oil — has been linked to memory problems and possibly Alzheimer’s disease by research.

One of the most widely consumed oils in the world, relatively little is known about canola oil’s effect on health.

The study, though, from Temple University in the US, showed canola oil was linked to poor learning and weight gain in a mouse model.

The findings are in contrast to extra virgin olive oil which studies find is beneficial for brain health.

Professor Domenico Praticò, Director of the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, said:

“Canola oil is appealing because it is less expensive than other vegetable oils, and it is advertised as being healthy.

Very few studies, however, have examined that claim, especially in terms of the brain.”

Canola oil and Alzheimer’s

The study compared mice on a normal diet with those given a human-equivalent dose of two teaspoons a day.

After 12 months the mice fed canola oil weighed more and had memory problems.

Their brain tissue also revealed lower levels of amyloid beta 1-40.

Dr. Praticò explained that low levels of this protein are bad for the brain:

“Amyloid beta 1-40 neutralizes the actions of amyloid 1-42, which means that a decrease in 1-40, like the one observed in our study, leaves 1-42 unchecked.

In our model, this change in ratio resulted in considerable neuronal damage, decreased neural contacts, and memory impairment.”

Dr. Praticò continued:

“Even though canola oil is a vegetable oil, we need to be careful before we say that it is healthy.

Based on the evidence from this study, canola oil should not be thought of as being equivalent to oils with proven health benefits.”

Previous similar studies have shown that olive oil is beneficial for brain health.

Dr. Praticò is hoping to test the effects of canola oil on other neurodegenerative diseases:

“We also want to know whether the negative effects of canola oil are specific for Alzheimer’s disease.

There is a chance that the consumption of canola oil could also affect the onset and course of other neurodegenerative diseases or other forms of dementia.”

The study was published in the journal Scientific Reports (Lauretti et al., 2017).

How To Prevent Brain Shrinking With Age

Normally people’s brains shrink by about 5% every decade after the age of 40 but this could be prevented.

Normally people’s brains shrink by about 5% every decade after the age of 40 but this could be prevented.

Exercise increases brain size and so may help stop brain shrinkage with age, a study finds.

In some of the best evidence to date, exercise was shown to increase the size of the hippocampus, a brain structure critical for memory and other functions.

So far, studies have mostly shown the connection between exercise and brain size in rodents.

Shrinking brain size

Researchers followed people aged 24 to 76 for up to two years in a range of separate studies.

They looked at the effects of walking, cycling, treadmill running and general aerobic exercise.

Most people did around 2-5 sessions per week.

The results showed that left hippocampul volume was increased in people who exercised.

Dr Joseph Firth, the study’s first author, said:

“When you exercise you produce a chemical called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which may help to prevent age-related decline by reducing the deterioration of the brain.

Our data showed that, rather than actually increasing the size of the hippocampus per se, the main ‘brain benefits’ are due to aerobic exercise slowing down the deterioration in brain size.

In other words, exercise can be seen as a maintenance program for the brain.”

Preventing brain shrinking with age is possible

The study reviewed 14 separate clinical trials, including brain scans from 737 people.

This is some of the most definitive evidence yet published of the beneficial effects of exercise on brain health.

Normally people’s brains shrink by about 5% every decade after the age of 40.

Exercise is one of the few interventions proven to slow this process down.

The study was published in the journal NeuroImage (Firth et al., 2018).

Loss Of Smell Is An Early Sign of Dementia

Loss of smell is an early sign of dementia because the the olfactory bulb is one of the first brain regions to be affected by dementia.

Loss of smell is an early sign of dementia because the the olfactory bulb is one of the first brain regions to be affected by dementia.

Losing your sense of smell is an early sign of dementia, research finds.

Almost all the people in the research who could not identify any of five common smells went on to develop dementia within five years.

Those who could not name four out of five common smells, had twice the risk of developing dementia in the next five years.

Professor Jayant M. Pinto, who led the research, said:

“These results show that the sense of smell is closely connected with brain function and health.

We think smell ability specifically, but also sensory function more broadly, may be an important early sign, marking people at greater risk for dementia.”

Professor Pinto continued:

“We need to understand the underlying mechanisms, so we can understand neurodegenerative disease and hopefully develop new treatments and preventative interventions.

Loss of the sense of smell is a strong signal that something has gone wrong and significant damage has been done.

This simple smell test could provide a quick and inexpensive way to identify those who are already at high risk.”

Loss of smell and dementia study

The researchers used a tool called “Sniffin’Sticks”, which look like a normal marker pen.

They found that out of almost 3,000 people aged 57 – 85, 78.1% could identify four or five out of five of the smells.

Other studies have also shown that loss of sense of smell is linked to dementia.

It is because the part of the brain that deals with smell (the olfactory bulb) is one of the first to be affected by dementia.

Professor Pinto said:

“Our test simply marks someone for closer attention.

Much more work would need to be done to make it a clinical test.

But it could help find people who are at risk.

Then we could enroll them in early-stage prevention trials.

Of all human senses, smell is the most undervalued and underappreciated – until it’s gone.”

The study was published in the  Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (Adams et al., 2017).

Six Minutes To Better Memory: Exercise Boosts BDNF And Resists Brain Aging

Just six minutes of exercise improves memory while reducing the risk of Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease.

Just six minutes of exercise improves memory while reducing the risk of Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease.

The reward for doing 6 minutes of high-intensity workout is a brain that is more resilient to aging, Alzheimer’s disease, and Parkinson’s disease.

According to a study, short intervals of vigorous exercise improve the production of a protein involved in brain function related to memory, learning, and flexibility.

Our brain has the ability to learn, adapt, and function through a process known as neuroplasticity.

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is the particular protein that boosts neuroplasticity and protects neurons.

Past research has suggested that higher levels of BDNF enhance memory storage, memory formation, improve learning processes, and increase cognitive function.

BDNF’s capability of protecting nerve cells has encouraged researchers to find out if this protein can slow brain aging.

Mr Travis Gibbons, the study’s first author, said:

“BDNF has shown great promise in animal models, but pharmaceutical interventions have thus far failed to safely harness the protective power of BDNF in humans.

We saw the need to explore non-pharmacological approaches that can preserve the brain’s capacity which humans can use to naturally increase BDNF to help with healthy aging.”

The team wanted to see if either calorie restriction or exercise or both have any effect on BDNF production.

For this, they compared the factors below to examine the solo and joint impacts:

  • 90 minutes of low-intensity cycling
  • Six minutes of high-intensity cycling intervals
  • Fasting for 20 hours
  • Fasting with exercise

Short but vigorous exercise appeared to be the most effective approach for elevating BDNF levels compared with light exercise or fasting with or without prolonged low-intensity workouts.

The 6-minute high-intensity workouts increased serum concentration of BDNF by five times.

Prolonged low-intensity cycling showed a slight increase in serum levels, from 336 pg/L to 390 pg/L, while fasting had no effect.

Such contrasting findings might be due to a cerebral substrate switch, the brain’s fuel source shifting from glucose to either ketone bodies or lactate.

It appears that the brain switches from glucose to lactate during exercise, leading to production of BDNF, while fasting causes an increase in ketone body delivery to the brain.

Platelets are tiny blood cells that store BDNF and exercise increased numbers of platelets by 20 percent compared to fasting.

The team also want to find out whether intermittent fasting with exercise would have a greater influence on BDNF and cognitive functions.

Mr Travis Gibbons, added:

“We are now studying how fasting for longer durations, for example up to three days, influences BDNF.

We are curious whether exercising hard at the start of a fast accelerates the beneficial effects of fasting.

Fasting and exercise are rarely studied together.

We think fasting and exercise can be used in conjunction to optimize BDNF production in the human brain.”

The study was published in the journal The Journal of Physiology (Gibbons et al., 2023).

Get free email updates

Join the free PsyBlog mailing list. No spam, ever.