Spring Arbor Living Blog

Even moderate exercise can increase the size of your brain. The best thing you can do to keep your brain healthy is to get off the couch go for a brisk walk. Just one year of walking three times a week can increase the size of the hippocampus, a part of the brain that's key to memory.

Scientists know that the hippocampus begins to shrink as we age, leading to impaired memory and an increased risk of dementia. Researchers have shown that aerobic exercise can reverse the shrinkage and improve memory, a finding that builds on past evidence pointing to a relationship between fitness and brain function.

"This important study goes well beyond saying that exercise is good for older people, a statement that often leads people to roll their eyes and say, 'Of course,' " says Columbia University neurologist Scott Small, M.D. "It links exercise specifically to a way in which aging affects the brain and clearly establishes a means to slow the onset of age-related memory loss."

For the study, researchers from the University of Pittsburgh, the University of Illinois, Rice University and Ohio State University recruited 120 sedentary older people without dementia.

The men and women, 55 to 80 years old who in the previous six months had participated in less than one weekly session of physical activity lasting at least 30 minutes.

The participants were randomly assigned to one of two supervised groups, either an aerobic exercise program of walking around a track for 40 minutes a day, three days a week, or a program of yoga and toning with resistance bands. They provided blood samples, had MRI brain scans and took memory tests at the beginning of the one-year study, after six months and at the end.

After the study ended, brain scans showed that the hippocampus had increased in size by about 2% among the walking group, which effectively reversed age-related loss by one to two years, while it shrank by about 1.4% in the stretching group. The exercise group also showed improved performance on a memory test and increased levels of BDNF, a protein involved in learning and memory.

This is an inexpensive and painless way to improve memory and brain health. All you need is a good pair of shoes.

AARP

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Alzheimer's Disease isn't inevitable. Many experts now believe you can prevent or delay dementia — even if you have a genetic predisposition. Reducing Alzheimer's risk factors like obesity, diabetes, smoking and low physical activity by just 25% percent could prevent up to half a million cases of the disease in the United States.

Regular exercise can keep your brain young, reducing your need for memory care.

Here are 10 new ways you can boost your brain health now.

1) Get moving
"If you do only one thing to keep your brain young, exercise," says Art Kramer, professor of psychology and neuroscience at the University of Illinois. Higher exercise levels can reduce dementia risk by 30 to 40% compared with low activity levels, and physically active people tend to maintain better cognition and memory than inactive people. "They also have substantially lower rates of different forms of dementia, including Alzheimer's disease," Kramer says.

 2) Pump some iron
Older women who participated in a yearlong weight-training program at the University of British Columbia at Vancouver did 13% better on tests of cognitive function than a group of women who did balance and toning exercises.
 
 3) Learn new skills
Learning spurs the growth of new brain cells. "When you challenge the brain, you increase the number of brain cells and the number of connections between those cells. But it's not enough to do the things you routinely do "says Keith L. Black, M.D., chair of neurosurgery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

4) Reduce Stress
Chronic stress floods your brain with cortisol, which leads to impaired memory. Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), which involves focusing one's attention on sensations, feelings and state of mind,  has been shown to reduce harmful stress hormones.
 
5) Eat like a Greek
A heart-friendly Mediterranean diet, fish, vegetables, fruit, nuts and beans, reduced Alzheimer's risk by 34 to 48% in studies conducted by Columbia University.

These fats may be equally important for maintaining a healthy brain and memory care.

6) Spice it up
Your brain enjoys spices as much as your taste buds do. Herbs and spices such as black pepper, cinnamon, oregano, basil, parsley, ginger and vanilla are high in antioxidants, which may help build brainpower. Scientists are particularly intrigued by curcumin. Indians have lower incidence of Alzheimer's, and one theory is it's the curcumin.

7) Find your purpose
Discovering your mission in life can help you stay sharp. Participants who approached life with clear intentions and goals at the start of the study were less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease over the following seven years.

8) Get a social life
Having multiple social networks helps lower dementia risk and your need for memory care. A rich social life may protect against dementia by providing emotional and mental stimulation. Other studies yield similar conclusions: Subjects in a University of Michigan study did better on tests of short-term memory after just 10 minutes of conversation with another person.

9) Reduce your risks
Chronic health conditions like diabetes, obesity and hypertension are often associated with dementia. Diabetes, for example, roughly doubles the risk for Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia. Controlling these risk factors can slow the tide.

10) Check vitamin deficiencies
Older adults don't always get all the nutrients they need from foods, because of declines in digestive acids or because their medications interfere with absorption. That vitamin deficit — particularly vitamin B12 — can also affect brain vitality.

AARP

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