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The Brain Workout

Posted on Dec 18th 2009 10:00AM by Holly St. Lifer

Filed Under: Nutrition & Supplements, Fit After 40

While it's one thing to rationalize that memory loss is a normal part of aging, it's incredibly disarming when it actually starts happening to you. Last week I took my daughter to the coffee shop I visit every morning, but when I started to introduce her to the barista I couldn't remember his name. My 52-year-old sitcom writer friend was in the middle of a production meeting recently and couldn't recall how many days there were in a year. Constantly misplacing my keys and forgetting where I parked the car is just annoying -- drawing total blanks in the middle of conversations on the other hand, is hugely embarrassing. If you can relate, consider trying these gray matter boosters.

Take Omega 3 supplements. In a study presented at the Alzheimer's Association 2009 International Conference, people 55 and older with age-related memory woes who took the fatty acid pills for six months had almost double the reduction in errors on a test that measures learning and memory skills, compared with those who took a placebo."The benefit is roughly equivalent to having the learning and memory skills of someone three years younger," said lead researcher Karin Yurko-Mauro. To aim for the benefits that this specific study showed, look for supplements that have 900 mg of algal DHA and take one a day.

Cut calories. Healthy women ranging in age from 50 to 80 who reduced their calorie intake by 30 percent for three months not only lost weight, but their scores on verbal memory tests also shot up by 20 percent, according to a study conducted at the University of Munster in Germany. They were all either normal or slightly overweight. Twenty were assigned to the calorie-cutting group, 20 upped their intake of unsaturated fatty acids (which some studies suggest may help aging brains), and the remaining 10 stuck with their normal diet. Unlike the women who cut down on calories, the women who ate more unsaturated fatty acids showed no improvement in their memories, nor did those in the control group.

Play mind games: Learning something new or using your brain in different ways keeps your neurons firing. One large group study found that staying mentally active reduces the risk of Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia by nearly half by building and maintaining a reserve of stimulation. "It is a case of use it or lose it,'" said lead study author Michael Valenzuela, a research fellow at the in the School of Psychiatry at University of New South Wales in Australia. Do crossword puzzles, read more, take on a new language or a musical instrument, or play games like Brain Age. "Research also shows volunteering improves memory, along with its myriad of other benefits," said Valenzuela.

Learn more about memory loss and what you can do about it.

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