Our brains are affected by the same processes that contribute to overall aging, so how well we have taken care of ourselves throughout our lives affects not only our general health, but also our mental function.
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Longevity and Cognitive Decline Several studies have found that selenium blood levels fall as we age and those with the lowest levels experience shorter life spans. One study showed a drop of 7 percent at age 60 and 24 percent by age 75. In one study involving 1,389 patients ages 60 to 71, it was discovered that, when compared to those with the higher selenium levels, those with the lower levels have a highest likelihood of experiencing cognitive and neurological problems.
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Researchers at the Technion Institute of Science in Haifa, Israel have shown that feeding green tea extract to mice with Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease not only protects brain cells from breaking down, but also helps restore damaged brain cells. If you’re not already drinking green tea, now is the time to start. We’ve known for some time that drinking green tea has a distinct positive effect on brain function as we age. The incidence of age-related neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s is significantly lower among the tea-drinking Asian cultures than in both Europeans and Americans. This is the first study, however, that shows the actual effects of EGCG, the primary antioxidant in green tea, in the brain on a molecular level.
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85% of women in the United States experience hot flashes at some point as they go through menopause, especially during the first couple of years. It has been calculated that up to 50% of women may continue to experience hot flashes for many years thereafter. The cause of the so called "hot flash" is mostly related to a drop in estrogen levels as a woman goes through the menopausal state. After experiencing a hot flash, many women may develop actual reddening of their skin along with heavy perspiration. Other symptoms of menopause include: impairment of normal sleep cycle, changes in behavior (particularly poor mood), lightheadedness, nausea, rapid heart beat, etc., and a generalized feeling of malaise.
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If you suddenly lose sight in one eye for no apparent reason, there’s an major chance that one of the small blood vessels supplying your retina has become blocked. The retina is the sensitive backside of the interior eye onto which light is focused. If one of the small arteries supplying the area becomes blocked, you'll lose vision almost instantly. You only have about an hour to fix the problem before irreversible damage occurs.
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In a recent study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition it was found that after adjusting for other factors, individuals with higher plasma folic acid levels had overall better global cognitive function and better performance on tests of psychomotor speed. Researchers felt that these associations may be mediated by vascular mechanisms. In addition to this study there was a second study regarding meta-analysis of 14 double-blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled trials regarding folic acid. The study concluded that high doses of folic acid appeared to improve endothelial function and as a result potentially promote good cardiovascular function.
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Older people who have a sense of self-worth, feel happy and hopeful, and enjoy life have lower blood pressure compared to their more pessimistic peers. Emotional and mental vitality are closely tied to physical vitality. Remember, just as your mind has powerful effects on your body, so your physical state affects how you feel and think. And friendship and love are important since social contact can make a big difference in how you feel.
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Lipitor is the best-selling drug in the United States. The Physicians’ Desk Reference includes mentions of the potential for liver toxicity, muscle aches, and weakness. However, nowhere does it touch on Lipitor’s cognitive side effects other than a one-word mention of amnesia in a long list of things purported to have occurred in patients. In the clinical studies on the drugs, all of which are funded by drug companies, benefits are emphasized while adverse effects are downplayed. To make matters worse, government and cardiology opinion leaders are so conflicted by drug money that they ignore red flags. This means that physicians and patients alike are much more likely to attribute declining memory or blackout spells to old age, dementia, stroke, or something other than to cholesterol-lowering drugs. In fact, if a patient complains about memory problems related to the drugs, the doctor will generally discount it.
It’s obvious that these drugs would adversely affect cognition if you think about it. Your brain contains an abundance of cholesterol and must have it to function properly. It serves to insulate the neurons and speed up nerve conduction. Recent research reveals that cholesterol is also required for the formation of synapses, the areas between neurons where nerve impulses are transmitted and received. In fact, cholesterol is so important that it is manufactured by the glial cells in the supportive tissues of the brain. Curbing the synthesis of a crucial compound has an inevitable downside effect. For example, both suicide and violent behavior have long been linked to very low cholesterol levels. Data from the ongoing Framingham Heart Study demonstrates that older people with low total cholesterol below 200 are much more likely to perform poorly on tests of mental function than those with cholesterol over 240.
These drugs harm the brain in other ways as well. More on Liptor And Statin Drugs Are Stealing Users Memory
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Niacin has dozens of benefits such as improving circulation, lowering harmful levels of cholesterol, and it combats arthritis, just to name a few. At a cost of only pennies a day, it’s undoubtedly one of the best bargains around. Niacin and nicotine both stimulate the production of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine but the harmful effects of nicotine are not present. Acetylcholine is needed for many things, primarily to facilitate the transmission of nerve impulses. One recent study in Chicago selected 815 individuals without Alzheimer’s disease, monitored clinical changes, and assessed their dietary niacin intake. After an average of four years, 131 in this group developed Alzheimer’s disease.
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