A simple thing like losing your car at the nearby mall can make you feel like you are losing your mind.  Why can’t you remember such a simple thing as where you parked your car?  And of course the first thing you think of is, “If I am like this now, what am I going to be like in ten years?”  Those senior moment jokes are really getting old.  Are those medical conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease and dementia just around the corner?

According to Dr. David Perimutter, M.D., FACN, board-certified neurologist and a leader in the field of complementary medicine, memory loss and other brain dysfunction are not inevitable with aging.  He believes nutrition, lifestyle changes and brain workouts can prevent and even reverse the effects of stress and ‘aging’ on your brain.    By supplying the right raw materials, he states that the brain has amazing powers of regeneration.  Good to know!

One of the interesting things I just recently learned was that our brains actually shrink.   High blood pressure, diabetes, cigarette smoking and being overweight or obese all play a role in this shrinkage.  Internet addiction also is linked to brain shrinkage. In June, Scientific American reported on a recently published  Chinese study that brain-scanned 18 college-aged internet addicts and found, in part, that “several small regions in online addicts’ brains shrunk, in some cases as much as a 10 to 20 percent.”   Another factor that can lead to our shrinking brains is sleeplessness.  Discover News reported , “brain imaging has linked chronic insomnia to lower gray matter density in areas that regulate the brain’s ability to make decisions and to rest.”

Nutrition plays a role in how healthy our brains are as well.    David Platt, Ph.D., CEO of Boston Therapeutics, tells Live in the Now. “Just this year, for example, Mayo Clinic researchers found that people aged 70 and older who consume food high in carbs increase their likelihood of developing mild cognitive impairment fourfold, and the danger is also present with a diet heavy in sugar. Moreover, in 2009, a team at Wake Forest University established that cognitive functioning abilities decrease as average blood sugar levels increase in people with type 2 diabetes. Unfortunately, many people are not fully aware of these conclusions, but they are as important to know as the dangers of cigarette smoking.”

In case you needed another reason to get in shape, here it is: diabetes, high blood pressure, and being overweight make your brain shrink at a faster rate. A recent study from the University of California, Davis, found that these three conditions, along with smoking, had a huge effect on brain volume. And surprisingly, excess weight carried the most risk.

So what is the solution to stopping our brains from shrinking?  Here are a few suggestions for you…

  1. Be active ~ regular exercise is associated with a longer lifespan
  2. Reduce your stress ~ Sustained stressors are associated with increased aging biomarkers.  Use meditation,  breathing exercises, walking or jogging.  How about water walking?  That is my favorite!
  3. Maintain a healthy diet ~ being overweight is associated with many age-related diseases ~ here is a great product that will help you lose weight and retain your muscle.
  4. Make time to sleep ~ lack of sleep can have a devasting effect on our health
  5. Stay connected ~ very important to our overall health
  6. Consume the right nutrients ~ Most of us do not eat the recommended 7 servings of fruits and vegetables per day.  Try adding a few berries to your breakfast and an extra serving of veggies on your dinner plate.  Try to eat organic.
  7. Take a multi-vitamin ~ to supplement your base nutritional needs ~ a great choice for this is here. 
  8. Load up on polyphenols ~ These are plant-based nutrients that have antioxidant benefits and protects against cellular aging.  This product is loaded with polyphenols.
  9. Take EGGG (Epigallocatechin) ~ A flavonoid found in tea and is an antioxidant   This product includes that.
  10. Muscadine grapes ~ Includes one of the highest antioxidant levels among fruits that help to support inflammation response after consumption of a high fat, high carbohydrate meal and acts as an antioxidant.  This product provides that.
  11. Resveratrol ~ Studies show that this may also slow cellular aging.  This product includes this and many other polyphenols.

We don’t have to be victims of aging, sickness or disease (or shrinking brains!)  Making the right choices each day can make a difference.  Another suggestion for you ~ go here to my wellness site and read my latest article about a product that can help to stop our brains from shrinking.

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