Feed Your Brain to Prevent or Delay Cognitive Decline

Introduction

The fear of developing dementia often comes with aging, especially as more ‘senior moments’ occur, recalling a name, where your keys are, what else you were to buy at the store, and why you came into a room. But this does not usually signal the onset of dementia. Memory retrieval may slow, but the ability to learn is still there. Some people in their 80s have the brain health and cognitive powers of people 20 or 30 years younger. Some perform as well as people in their 20s on difficult memory tests. Elderly people whose memories are still sharp have a thicker brain cortex than other elderly people. The cortex is the outer layer of the brain and is a prime area responsible for functions such as memory and thinking. This means that severe forgetfulness and loss of cognition are not inevitable and that preventive actions can be taken. [1]

Dementia including Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is not a normal consequence of aging, though risk rises with age. Cognitive decline can result from unhealthy lifestyle choices that can be avoided or corrected. Some things can’t be modified such as genetic background, but heredity accounts for relatively few cases of dementia, even AD, and lifestyle can turn genes on or off. Many factors linked to brain deterioration can be controlled. Adults often lose brain volume as they age, especially in areas associated with memory, thinking and decision-making. Yet staying fit mentally, nutritionally, and physically limits such brain shrinkage. The ability to use general knowledge usually continues to improve and can match or even surpass the performance of younger adults. Aging includes protective and enhancing factors like experience-dependent cognitive plasticity—reorganization and change capacities. Leading a healthy life may “mitigate losses and consolidate gains” to maintain the brain for years to come. [2]

What Is Dementia?

Dementia is progressive deterioration of the brain resulting in impaired cognition and memory loss. About 60% of cases are AD. Other types include vascular dementia (restricted blood flow to the brain) and frontotemporal dementia (degeneration of frontal and temporal lobes of the brain), or are caused by chronic alcoholism, some medications, Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, or multiple sclerosis. There is an increasing number of people with dementia, suggesting that the environment and lifestyle play big roles. About one-third of AD cases are attributable to modifiable risk factors, meaning there is a chance to prevent it. Some people with memory loss don’t have dementia. For example, people with depression often complain of memory loss and difficulty concentrating. Drug reactions or sudden health conditions can cause thinking problems and delirium. Typical symptoms of real dementia include difficulty remembering recent events; inability to perform complex tasks such as balancing a checkbook; getting lost in familiar places etc. 

Aim For Healthy Circulation

Blood carries nutrients and oxygen to every part of the body, including the brain. Although the brain makes up only 2% of total body weight, it gets 16% of the heart’s blood production and uses nearly 25% of the oxygen consumed by the body. Anything that stresses or indicates constriction, damage or loss of integrity to blood vessels can affect the brain. The blood-brain barrier (BBB) which permits only certain substances to travel from the blood to the brain, can be weakened in a number of ways—high blood pressure, increased particle concentration in the blood, radiation or microwave exposure, trauma, diminished blood flow, and damage that produces inflammation. When blood vessel or BBB function is affected, insufficient oxygen and nutrients get to the brain. With blood flow restriction and resultant depleted brain fuel, the brain functions less efficiently and is prone to insult and injury. If the blood supply gets cut off to a small area of brain, the tissue can die from lack of oxygen. [3]

Work For A Balanced Metabolic System

Disruptions in blood sugar and insulin balance affect the brain. Type 2 diabetes is a strong risk factor for dementia. It adversely affects memory and processing speed and depletes directive functioning. Blood sugar soars because insulin no longer works properly due to insulin resistance of cells. Over time, there is a reduction in the number of insulin receptors in the BBB, allowing less insulin in the brain. For one thing, insulin helps clear toxic beta-amyloid (related to AD) out of the brain. Small blood vessels are damaged, and parts of the brain may shrink. Blood sugar is high but less gets to the brain. Glucose is the main fuel for the brain; a reduction affects brain function. [4]

Attain And Maintain A Healthy Weight

Overweight and obesity are linked to declining memory and brain function. Overweight can lead to type-2 diabetes and high blood pressure, among other things. People who are obese and have high blood pressure, blood sugar, and triglycerides have a 22.5% faster decline in many thinking skills than people of normal weight and no metabolic abnormality. Obese adults have less brain volume and more brain atrophy than those of normal weight. The more an individual weighs, the worse his/her memory is likely to be and the higher the risk for dementia. Weight loss and exercise improve cognition. Achieving and maintaining a healthy weight is a vital means for preserving the heart, metabolic and brain health into old age. Yet being severely underweight can also increase the risk of dementia. Being underweight increases the risk of dementia by 36%; being overweight increases risk by 42% and being obese ups risk by 80%. [5]

Support A Healthy Microbiome

Intestinal microbes influence the brain’s health and function as well as BBB permeability. The intestinal tract is a “second brain” due to the presence of the enteric nervous system that engages in digestive functions. Many neurotransmitters used in the brain also reside in the gut such as dopamine (vasodilation, reduction of insulin) and 95% of the body’s serotonin (mood, eating, sleep). Some brain-essential nutrients are produced in the gut. Natural foods, unpasteurized fermented foods, and quality probiotic supplements are all supportive. People with AD or other forms of dementia may benefit from taking probiotics, consuming a healthful diet, and avoiding toxins and some medications.

Avoid Toxins

Many environmental toxins can have brain-damaging effects. Plasticizers can result in inhibition of energy production in mitochondria and fat processing in brain cell membranes—affecting focus, motivation, inquisitiveness, interest, and contentedness. Pollution from traffic exhaust; living in areas of high air pollution; smoking; exposure to chemicals such as chlorinated solvents, petroleum solvents and benzene (in many dry-cleaning solutions, paints, carpet glue, furniture polishes, dyes, detergents, engine cleaners, plastics, rubber, heavy metals (such as mercury, lead, cadmium); aluminum (some food preservatives, antiperspirants, municipal water supplies); and organophosphate pesticides—all are toxic to the brain, reducing thinking and memory abilities. [7]

Reduce Stress

Chronic or excessive worry, depression, anxiety and other stressors disrupt neural circuitry, resulting in elevated adrenal stress hormones, causing brain tissue loss and hippocampal atrophy. Brain cells lose synapses (communication bridges between brain cells) and receptors are reduced so cells are less capable of responding to neurochemical cues, making it more difficult to create and retrieve memories. [8]

Get Enough Sleep

Sleep deprivation leads to accumulation of the beta-amyloid toxin linked to AD. Adequate sleep allows the space between brain cells to expand, making it easier for toxic waste products to get flushed out. With less sleep, less gets cleared. Middle-aged or older people who get six to nine hours of sleep a night have better cognitive scores than those sleeping either fewer or more hours. Sleeping less than six hours or more than nine hours impairs memory and lessens attention. [9]

Avoid Nutritional Deficiencies

Deficiencies of several nutrients, even if marginal, affect brain function and cognitive performance. The modern Western diet is highly nutrient-deficient, so many people lack what they need for good brain function. Nutrients are building blocks for neurotransmitters that make up the main network of communication in the brain. If the brain isn’t properly nourished, the health of neurotransmitters is compromised. Processed sugars, refined carbohydrates (bleached flour), fast foods, excess alcohol, unnatural altered fats and the like, are all as bad for the brain as they are for the rest of the body. Excessively refined sugar lowers levels of factors needed for memory and learning, plus dulls the brain’s ability to determine satiation, contributing to overeating and over-weight. High fructose corn syrup slows brain function, adversely affecting learning, concentration, and memory. [10]

Vitamin Complexes

Vitamin complexes including A, Bs C, D, E and K plus minerals including magnesium, calcium, potassium, iron, zinc and others, are all required for good brain function. High intake of vitamin C complex, vitamin E and carotenes can delay cognitive decline in the elderly. The concentration of vitamin C and beta-carotene in the serum of people with dementia is significantly lower than in those without dementia.

The link between iron status and cognition has been shown. Anemia increases the risk of dementia because red blood cells carry oxygen and so less oxygen gets to the brain. Other B vitamins such as thiamine (B1) riboflavin (B2), niacinamide (B3, and pyridoxine (B6 are also crucial to the brain for production of neurotransmitters. Magnesium, iodine, iron, copper, zinc and protein are involved in top-level brain function. Magnesium is essential for synaptic plasticity (growth and formation of new neuronal connections and networks) for brain cell communication. Adequate magnesium intake increases learning abilities and short- and long-term memory. Calcium and magnesium, both supportive to brain function, need to be balanced. Taking either mineral separately in large amounts can create detrimental imbalances. [11]

Inadequate Vitamin D

Inadequate levels of vitamin D are linked to cognitive impairment and dementias including AD. Getting vitamin D through sunlight exposure, diet, and food source supplements such as quality cod liver oil is different than supplementing with isolated, manufactured vitamin D (which has a risk of toxicity at high doses and does not work biochemically as well). [12]

Vitamin E

Vitamin E helps protect against cognitive impairment and dementia; a 2014 study found that older adults with high levels of vitamin E were less likely to suffer from memory disorders than those with lower levels. If mitochondria (where cellular energy is produced) are too damaged, they cannot produce enough lipoic acid. Lipoic acid recycles vitamin C, coenzyme Q10 and glutathione back to their useful forms and aids the brain’s chemistry. [13]

Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Omega-3 fatty acids (DHA and EPA) are abundant in the brain’s gray matter and are important to normal brain function. Omega-3s improve learning ability, play a significant role in regeneration and development of brain cells, and may increase neurotransmitter activity. Low levels are associated with smaller brain volume [5] and reduced visual memory, executive function and abstract thinking. But study results are not consistent, probably due to supplement quality (most are highly processed which alters fatty acids and supports nutrients). Yet fish (salmon, anchovies, herring, sardines, trout, mackerel, etc.) and other food sources (such as plant omega-3, ALA, as in flaxseed and walnuts) consistently show improvement. [14]

Herbs

Evidence shows that Ginkgo biloba  can improve mental performance and complex memory function by increasing proper blood flow to the brain, even reducing long-term cognitive decline in the elderly. Ginkgo extracts have improved cognition in people with vascular dementia and AD. Bacopa has been shown to enhance attention, cognition and cognitive processing, improve working and free recall memory, and enhance cholinergic function. [15]

Establish Healthy Eating Habits

Nutrition looms large in the strategy to prevent or delay dementia. Research often focuses on the role of individual nutrients, but now studies are demonstrating that it is the combined effects and interactions of many nutrients in whole foods and dietary patterns that really work. This approach incorporates the complexity, innerworkings and synergy among nutrients in healthful, real-food diets that reduce cognitive decline and risk of dementia.

Foods shown to improve brain health and cognitive function include Vegetables, such as asparagus, peppers, tomatoes, cabbage family (kale, broccoli, etc.); beets, celery, spinach, carrots (all rich in nitrates to increase blood flow to the brain). Green leafy vegetables are particularly helpful. Fruit, including avocado, berries of all kinds, mango, melons, citrus and papaya. Nuts and seeds such as almonds, walnuts, pecans; sunflower, pumpkin and flax seeds. Legumes including peas and dried beans. Whole grains of all types. Seafood, particularly fatty ocean (not farmed) fish such as salmon, mackerel and sardines (all low in toxins and mercury), and quality cod liver oil. Eggs, preferably from free-range, pasture fed poultry. Other foods include meats, poultry and milk products from organic pasture-fed animals; and fermented foods such as kefir, unpasteurized yogurt, kimchi and sauerkraut. Brain cells are made up mainly of fat. Fatty acids needed by the brain come from fish, seeds, nuts, olives, quality meats and dairy plus other real foods rich in natural, unaltered fats. The amount of fat intake is not the issue, it’s the quality that is crucial.

Dietary patterns rich in such foods, such as a Mediterranean-style pattern, are consistently associated with higher levels of cognitive function in elderly people over long periods of time. Consuming a diverse diet with a variety of healthy foods is the way to attenuate cognitive decline, enhance memory and improve attention. A quality diet and real whole-food supplements are greater than the sum of their parts. They are food for thought. Numerous nutrients benefit brain function and cognition, and real foods with their hundreds, if not thousands, of nutrients and other food components are the best way to feed the brain. This indicates that, if supplements are needed, real food concentrates would be the most logical and helpful. [16]

References

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