The Aging Brain

Like the cells of our muscles, bones, organs and skin, our brain cells age and die. This can result in a number of problems including dementia and memory loss.

Science now confirms a link between good physical health in old age and the preservation of cognitive abilities. The healthiest elderly people tend to experience minimal cognitive decline even into their 90s. Stimulating the brain with both physical exercise and mental exercise has been shown to positively influence memory and help prevent cognitive decline.

Although they impact the brain in different ways, physical exercise and mental stimulation both help the brain to stay young.

Physical Exercise

Physical exercise positively affects the brain for the long term as well as the short term. Exercise (and the lack of it) impacts the hippocampus - a seahorse-shaped part of the brain associated with memory and learning. This is likely because the hippocampus is especially sensitive to reductions in oxygen levels within the body.

In a recent study conducted at the Salk Institute, La Jolla, California, researcher Fred Gage and his team found that the number of new brain cells in the hippocampus of adult mice doubled when they had access to running wheels. (This contradicted a previous belief that the brain stopped producing new brain cells early in its development, and that brain power diminished as cells died off over the course of a lifetime.)

Studies involving seniors who walk regularly have shown significant improvement in memory skills over those of elderly people who are sedentary.

Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health and three other institutions followed the exercise habits of more than 18,000 older women over a period of eight to 15 years. When the women reached age 70, the researchers tested their cognitive abilities (memory, learning, and attention) over a two-year period. The researchers found that women who were moderately active, walking two to three hours at an easy pace every week, performed significantly better on the tests than women who walked less than one hour a week.

The women who were most active, walking at least six hours per week, enjoyed a 20 percent decrease in the risk of cognitive impairment compared with those who were inactive. These women also demonstrated the cognitive functioning of someone three years younger.

In another study, researchers at the University of California at San Francisco measured the brain function of close to 6,000 women over eight years. The results were correlated with the women's normal activity level, including routine walking and stair-climbing.

The women who were most active experienced considerably less cognitive decline - up to 40 percent for the most active women. For every extra mile walked a week, researchers noted a 13 percent lowering of cognitive decline.

Walking is particularly beneficial for the brain because it increases blood circulation and increases the amount of oxygen and glucose that reaches your brain cells. (Since walking is not strenuous, the leg muscles don't use up extra oxygen and glucose as they do during other forms of exercise. As you walk, you effectively oxygenate your brain.)

Mental Exercise

Just like physical exercise, mental stimulation improves brain function and protects against cognitive decline. Memory and other cognitive functions involve the relaying of messages between the nerve cells, along specific pathways. Regularly performing mental exercises will help keep these pathways active and functional. Learning something new, such as a language, or playing specially-designed “mind games” can even result in the development of new pathways, thereby increasing brain power. (You can find books designed to improve the way your brain works in bookstores and on the Internet.)

Here are some ways to give your brain a mental workout:

Do the crossword or sudoku. Crosswords, word jumbles and other puzzles help keep your brain cells active and young.

Learn a new language or skill and apply it regularly. Your brain will manufacture new pathways in response to the demands put upon it. Examples of a new skill might include designing a website, learning to read music and learning sign language.

Put away your calculator. Doing math in your head is fast becoming obsolete - and with it, hundreds of brain cells. Rev yours up from time to time by adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing without an electronic aid.

Enlist your shopping list. After making out your list, mentally group your proposed purchases to trigger your memory (for example, list all the dairy products together). Try remembering everything you have to buy. Before you reach the checkout, check your list for forgotten items.

Change your routine. Just as muscles grow when challenged by non-routine movement, so the brain develops neurons when it is challenged. To challenge your brain cells, try changing your daily routine. Even small changes to the order in which you do things will stimulate your nerve pathways and keep you more alert.

Feeding Your Brain

Is there such a thing as “brain food”? Scientists say yes.

Researchers at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University say that folate, a B vitamin present in leafy green vegetables and citrus fruits, may protect against cognitive decline in older adults. For a healthy brain (and body in general), be sure to get lots of colourful vegetables and fruits every day.

Consuming enough protein is also essential for maintenance of the brain cells. You will need one gram of protein per kilogram of body weight, per day.

Nuts are fast becoming recognized as nutritional powerhouses, their mono- unsaturated oils helping to keep the brain’s blood vessels clear. Aim for one ounce of nuts (roughly 20 almonds), four or five times a week.

It’s no myth that fish is brain food. The omega-3 fatty acids present in fish also help clear the arteries and increase delivery of oxygen. Cold water fish such as tuna, salmon and mackerel are particularly rich sources of omega-3 oils. You should eat fish a minimum of three times a week to obtain these benefits.

Finally, the herb Ginkgo Biloba has long been recognized as helpful for the brain. This is likely due to its antioxidant activity and ability to dilate the small blood vessels that supply the brain with nutrients.

The Memory Supplement

The brain functions by sending messages between its nerve cells via chemical messengers called neurotransmitters. Acetylcholine (ACh) is an important neurotransmitter essential for normal learning and memory function. Stress and the aging process often contribute to a decrease in levels of ACh and nerve cell connections in selective areas of the brain.

A new supplement, Remember-fX, has been clinically demonstrated to positively impact levels of ACh, thereby improving memory and mental alertness.

In a clinical study, the consumption of Remember-fX (100 mg twice daily for two weeks) enhanced short-term memory in young and senior adults.¹ Other studies have shown the supplement to enhance memory in schizophrenia patients, and to significantly improve ADHD symptoms in children.

Remember-fX is suitable for healthy adults and children 12 years of age and older who are not taking any medications. People with known allergies to North American ginseng or taking blood thinners (such as warfarin) should avoid taking this supplement.

1. Institute of Psychology Chinese Academy of Sciences. Effect of REMEMBER-fX® on memory index in young and old age groups, 2001, CVT Clinical Report.

Back to Top