Strolling about 10 to 15 kilometres each week can help preserve the size of your brain and also put a stop to memory loss as you age, according a study published in Neurology.
The average adult brain has been shown to shrink with age, which has been linked with memory problems later in life. While researchers have long believed exercises can help preserve brain volume, there have not been enough studies following enough individuals into their senior years to back up the theory.
The team out of the University of Pittsburgh looked at 299 adults who were an average age of 78 years, taking part in the Cardiovascular Health Cognition Study. Grey matter volume, physical activity and cognitive impairment were all measured regularly. None of the subjects had problems with dementia at the time the study started. Brain volume was measured using MRI brain scans after nine years. After 13 years, the team tested the group’s thinking and memory skills and tested for signs of dementia.
The results showed that after nine years, individuals who walked at least 72 blocks (between 10 and 15 kilometres) a week had more grey matter volume than those who walked less. Walking more than that distance did not appear to increase grey matter further. Furthermore, after 13 years, about 40 per cent of participants had developed cognitive impairments or dementia while those who had walked the most cut their risk of developing similar problems in half.
The authors subsequently concluded that, “Greater amounts of walking are associated with greater grey matter volume, which is in turn associated with a reduced risk of cognitive impairment.”
Kids who spend a minimum of two hours a day in front the TV or a computer have a higher risk of developing psychological problems later in life, regardless of how often they are physically active or how much they do, according to a new study.
Published in the American Journal of Pediatrics, The PEACH project evaluated more than 1,000 children aged 10 and 11 years of age. Researchers collected data on how long each participant spent in front of a computer monitor or TV screen, and also evaluated each child’s mental health. Physical activity and its frequency and duration were measured using a monitor.
After analyzing the data, the research team found that kids who spent a minimum two hours a day in front of a TV and/or computer for reasons beyond doing homework had higher psychological difficulty scores than those who spent less than two hours in front a TV or computer. Those scores continued to trend regardless of how much physical activity children engaged in. The more active children scored better when it came to emotional and peer problems than sedentary children, but scored far worse when it came to behavioural issues, such as hyperactivity.
Lead study author Angie Page concluded, “Whilst low levels of screen viewing may not be problematic, we cannot rely on physical activity to ‘compensate’ for long hours of screen viewing.”
Page and the other authors added that limiting the amount of TV and/or computer exposure could help protect a child’s physical and mental health.
Worried about memory problems as you age? Chowing down on vegetables such as celery or peppers might help you forget those concerns.
The newest issue of the Journal of Nutrition has published a study that shows a diet rich in a particular compound, notably found in certain vegetables, might help reduce age-related brain inflammation and memory deficits.
The compound, known as luteolin, is believed to inhibit the release of inflammatory molecules in the brain, according to the study. The compound is commonly found in vegetables such as carrots, peppers, celery and in other natural plants or products such as olive oil, peppermint, rosemary and chamomile.
Specifically, the research team was studying special immune cells known as microglial cells that live in the brain and spinal cord. An infection stimulates these cells to produce cytokines, which cause chemical changes the brain, often leading to feelings of illness, including memory deficits.
The research team originally demonstrated that microglial cells exposed to a bacterial toxin produced inflammatory cytokines that could kill neurons. When introduced to luteolin before the toxin, however, the neurons survived. Exposing only the neurons to the compound had no effect on its survival. Those results were then used in mice studies, which found aged mice on luteolin-supplemented diets performed better on learning and memory tasks than their peers. The levels of inflammatory cytokines in their brains resembled younger adult mice.
“These data suggest that consuming a healthy diet has the potential to reduce age-associated inflammation in the brain, which result in better cognitive health,” said lead author Rodney Johnson.
