You probably take steps to maintain your physical health, but are you giving the same kind of attention to your brain?
As lifespans increase, more and more research is being done to find out how to improve brain function, especially in terms of memory and cognition. The results indicate that many things that are good for your general physical health can also contribute to the health of your brain. Here are a few recommendations.
Eat less meat.
Higher fish intake and lower meat consumption, one aspect of a Mediterranean diet, was tied to larger total gray matter volume on brain scans. Eating less meat was also independently associated with larger total brain volume. As reported in the journal Neurology, researchers concluded that, overall, the difference in brain volume between people who followed a Mediterranean diet and those who didn’t was similar to the effect of five years of aging.
Lift weights at least two times a week.
After a year-long study, women aged 65-75 who had lifted weights twice per week displayed significantly less shrinkage and tattering of their white matter than women who did not lift weights. They also walked more quickly and smoothly than the other women. This result was not achieved for women who lifted weights only once a week.
Treat your digestive system well.
Trillions of micro-organisms live in your digestive system, where they outnumber your human cells many times over and may make up as much as three percent of your body weight. The evidence that these bacteria affect a dense network of neurons in your gut—often called the “second brain”—is vast and growing. Research suggests that digestive-system activity may affect cognition (thinking skills and memory).
Get regular aerobic exercise.
In a study done at the University of British Columbia, researchers found that regular aerobic exercise, the kind that gets your heart and your sweat glands pumping, appears to boost the size of the hippocampus, the brain area involved in verbal memory and learning. Six months to a year of 120 minutes of moderate intensity exercise a week is associated with an increase in the volume of several brain regions.
Don’t skimp on sleep.
As your body sleeps, your brain is quite actively clearing out all of the junk that has accumulated as a result of your daily thinking. If you are chronically sleep-deprived, these toxins (metabolites and excess proteins) won’t get washed away. Neither will excess beta-amyloid, the build-up of which is associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
Nix the computerized brain games.
By the way, if you are concerned about mental agility, one thing that hasn’t been found to be effective at improving either short-term or long-term cognitive abilities is playing so-called brain games. If you enjoy playing computerized brain games (and paying for the privilege), then go ahead. But you’ll derive just as many—if not more—benefits from playing video games.
Use and Improve Your Brain–or Lose It?
The good news is that cognitive decline isn’t inevitable. There are things you can do to have a positive effect on your brain, from increasing its size to improving cognitive processing to (you should excuse the expression) taking out the trash. Of course, the opposite is also true: some of your habits and other activities can have a negative effect on your brain.
At the upcoming MONTHLY MEETING OF THE MIND (& BRAIN), I will be joined by guests Shelley Rael, Registered Dietician Nutritionist; Margaret Garcia, Personal Trainer; and Carla Haynes, Music Resource Teacher. Together we will explore the importance of nutrition, exercise, sleep, cognition, social connections, and even music in getting and keeping our brain in the best shape possible.