A Walk on the Cerebral Side
Hate the thought of losing your mental edge — or worse, growing senile — as you age? Well, here’s a simple way to slash your risk of dementia by 73 percent:
Go for a power walk. People who regularly walk may be that much less likely to develop dementia compared with their couch-potato peers. Yeah, it’s that simple!
More Blood, Please
Vascular dementia is the second most common form of dementia after Alzheimer’s. It’s the nosedive that memory and other cognitive functions can take when ailing blood vessels restrict — and sometimes block — the flow of blood to the brain. But because exercise — even mild exercise like walking — increases cerebral blood flow, it may shrink the risk.
Other Brain Savers
People with high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol up their odds of vascular dementia, so controlling those conditions is a start toward staying sharp. Here are a few other brain boosters to try:
Drink up! (Juice, that is.) Drinking fruit or vegetable juice at least three times per week may lower a person’s risk of Alzheimer’s disease, a recent study suggests. Antioxidants in the juice may be responsible for the effect. To keep your waistline from expanding, choose low-calorie or pure juices without any added sugar.
Slim down. Get your BMI under 25. It turns out that being seriously overweight not only translates into a greater risk of heart attack, stroke, and a host of other life-threatening conditions, but recent findings indicate that it’s bad for the brain as well. Especially if the weight is concentrated around the middle, because it’s associated with the brain changes linked to Alzheimer’s disease.
Pop the right pills. Vitamin E and a daily aspirin are a good start.
Have a question about food? Head on over to Food Past and Ask Gillian!
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