REV UP THAT BRAIN ! - #2

Let's see what some of the experts say about exercise and brain health.  Dr. David Perlmutter, author of Grain Brain, says, "Exercise has numerous pro-health effects on the body - especially the brain.  It's a powerful player in the world of epigenetics.  Put simply, when you exercise, you literally exercise your genetic makeup.  Aerobic exercise not only turns on genes linked to longevity, but also targets the gene that codes for BDNE, the brain's 'growth hormone.'  Aerobic exercise has been shown to reverse memory decline in the elderly and increase growth of new brain cells in the brain's memory center."

 In The Body Reset Diet, trainer Harley Pasternak (MSc) mentions that almonds, blueberries and cinnamon all are anti-aging and can help in different ways, such as cognitive function and decreasing oxidative damage.

 Many of Dr. Stephen Chaney's newsletters touch on aging and the brain.  In 2011 one of them cited a study led by Dr. Nikolaos Scarmeas.  He and his team examined the effect of both diet and exercise on Alzheimer's development.  They used 1880 elderly subjects from northern Manhattan.  Their average age was 77 and all were healthy, had no dementia when the  5 1/2 year study began.    

 Those "who most closely followed a Mediterranean diet were 40% less likely to develop Alzheimer's" than those eating the typical American diet.  "And those subjects who were physically active were 33% less likely to develop Alzheimer's than the couch potatoes."  How about those who exercised and followed the Mediterranean diet?  They were 60% less likely to succumb to Alzheimer's.

Next time we'll look at supplements that you might want to consider for brain health.

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