There are some common-sense things you can do to fight memory problems. Not surprisingly, they involve diet, exercise and maintaining overall good health.
Studies have shown that exercise helps generate new brain cells in the temporal lobes, the data banks in the brain that store memory, according to Palm Beach Gardens neurologist Dr. Michael Tuchman.
There also are other factors that might affect all forms of dementia. They are high blood pressure, eating foods that are high in cholesterol, and diabetes, which is known to be a risk factor, even for Alzheimers itself, Tuchman said.
We know that if you eat smart less fat and more fish and if you exercise, your likelihood of expressing dementia, even of the Alzheimers type, is somewhat reduced.
You might delay the expression of the disease by a year or a year and a half. And thats a good thing, because thats another year or a year and a half that you have a quality of life.
Daily consumption of berries especially blueberries and strawberries has been linked to preventing dementia, according to Dr. James Loomis, medical director of the Barnard Medical Center in Washington. The center is associated with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, an organization that promotes a plant-based diet as a way to avoid many types of illnesses.
Blueberries have been associated with lower risk of dementia across the board, Loomis said. Its an extremely potent antioxidant.
While its difficult to prove cause and effect with diets, population studies comparing one group to another suggest there might be some validity to the connection between diet and dementia.
Women who consumed at least one serving of blueberries and two servings of strawberries a day slowed the rate of cognitive decline by as much as two years, Loomis said.
Staying intellectually engaged is another benefit.
The only way we learn something and retain it, is by making connections between neurons thats how memory works, Tuchman said. The more you put into the bank in the beginning, the more you can afford to take something out and still have something left over.
He said hes often asked if doing mental exercises delays the onset of dementia.
I think as long as you stay intellectually engaged it doesnt matter what you do. Theres no evidence that one is better than something else. When youre not intellectually engaged, that seems to produce a worse outcome.
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Diet, exercise can fight memory problems - Palm Beach Daily News
