Posted By: Suzanne
Boost Your Brain Power - 09/30/10 01:07 AM
Mind Your Vitamins
To protect your brain-power a decade down the road, start taking your vitamins now. A recent Harvard study of nearly 15,000 women in their 70s found that those who had been taking vitamin C and E supplements for at least 10 years scored better on tests of memory, verbal fluency, and immediate and delayed recall, compared to women who did not take these supplements or took them for shorter periods of time. The study subjects generally took 100-500 mg of E and 400-1,250 mg of C daily. --AARP, Nov/Dec. 2003
Suzanne
Posted By: Suzanne
Re: Boost Your Brain Power - 09/30/10 01:14 AM
Boost Your Brainpower
Start walking--even if you're over 60 and have never exercised a day in your life--and you can look forward to being quick-witted in your golden years.
Researchers divided 124 sedentary folk ages 60 to 75 into two groups: One group walked briskly 3 days a week (progressing from 15 to 45 minutes); the other group did stretching and toning exercises for 1 hour, 3 times weekly.
After 6 months, the walkers significantly improved their scores on computer tasks, while the calisthenics group had no improvement.
The part of the brain responsible for managing multiple tasks, ignoring distractions, and calling on memory tends to decline first, warns study author Arthus Kramer, PhD, professor of psychology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. But walking increases oxygen flow to the brain and appears to slow these declines. "Walking just 3 days a week translates into a 15% boost in mental functioning, which is substantial for such a small investment in time," notes Dr. Kramer. --adapted from Prevention, March 2000.
Suzanne
Posted By: Suzanne
Re: Boost Your Brain Power - 09/30/10 01:19 AM
Veggies on the Brain
Perhaps they should change the saying to "A vegetarian never forgets." People who consumed just two or more servings of vegetables a day had a 35 to 40% slower rate of memory loss than those who ate one or none, according to a study published in the October 24, 2006 issue of Neurology.
Indeed, the veggie eaters had the recall ability of someone 5 years younger, and the results were even better for those who ate high quantities of green, leafy vegetables. Study participants were 65 years or older and were tested on abstract thinking ability, attention span and thinking speed.
It should be remembered that veggies are loaded with various antioxidants which have been found to fight neuron-damaging molecules in the brain, according to Martha Clare Morris, PhD, lead study author and associate professor at Rush University Medical Center. --adapted from Vegetarian Times, February 2007.
Suzanne
Posted By: Suzanne
Re: Boost Your Brain Power - 04/19/11 02:13 AM
A YEAR to Remember
Sustaining an exercise routine for a full year can strenthen your body and mind, according to important research. The study has implications for reducing the risk of dementia.
A team of researchers from several U.S. universities have found that moderate physical exercise can increase the size of the brain's hippocampus in older adults. (The hippocampus is involved in all facets of memory formation). The scientists recruited over 100 sedentary adults with no signs of dementia and placed them in 2 groups of equal size. One group began walking for 40 minutes a day, 3 times a week. The second group limited its exercise to a stretching and toning routine. The walking group showed improved memory function, which was associated with an increase in the size of the hippocampus, a region of the brain that gnerally shrinks as we age.
Measurements of the left and right hippocampus showed increases of about 2% in the walking grop. The stretching group saw a small reduction in the size of the hippocampus. --Taste for Life, April 2011.
Suzanne