Fish really is brain food. A recent European study of elderly men and women found that those who regularly ate seafood did way better on cognitive tests than those who ate little or none. The more fish these old folks ate, the better they did on their tests. Effects were more pronounced for non-processed lean fish and fatty fish.

If you can't imagine eating a lot of fish, try to think outside the box. You don't have to consume only fillets and steaks. Try some smoked salmon with your eggs or dose a healthy salad with some canned tuna. Like anchovies? They count too.

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Do you remember when I previously mentioned that exercise improves memory? If not, then maybe you need to get out and start exercising!!

MRIs taken of the brain of healthy adults taken after exercise showed signs of what Columbia University Medical Center researchers called "memory-cell" growth. Earlier studies led to similar results in mice. These studies may motivate physicians to prescribe an appropriate exercise regimen to patients who suffer from memory loss and impaired cognitive function, and also to patients who wish to be proactive in their efforts at prevention.

In the meantime, unless your doctor tells you otherwise, it wouldn't hurt to start exercising anyway if you already don't. While more research still needs to be done on this exercise/memory link, there's already plenty to support its benefit to overall health.

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As a follow-up to my very recent post, offering some tips on how to get some sleep, I felt it was critical to reinforce the importance of adequate sleep.

According to the Harvard Women's Health Watch, here are 5 reasons why you should not scrimp on sleep:

1. Cognitive Function and Memory. Sleep helps the brain commit new information to memory through a process called memory consolidation.

2. Metabolism and Weight. Lack of sleep may cause weight gain by affecting the way our bodies store and metabolize carbohydrates, as well as altering hormones that affect our appetites.

3. Mood. Sleep deprivation may lead to irritability, impatience, inattention and general emotional malaise.

4. Cardiovascular Health. Serious sleep disorders have been linked to hypertension, irregular heartbeats, and increased stress hormone levels.

5. Disease. A lack of sleep can interfere with immune function. Conversely, studies have shown that adequate amounts of sleep may help reduce cancer risk.

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My kids are split on the fish thing. One little guy gobbles down the fish we serve for dinner -- usually Salmon or Tilapia -- and the bigger guy would rather the stuff never pass through his lips. He's a good sport, though, and eats what we tell him he must eat. It helps that we promise to never serve fish more than once per week -- which we do because we think it's so good for their growing bodies, what with all the Omega-3 fatty acids.

Yep, Omega-3s are beneficial for children, reported delegates at the Joint New Zealand & Australian Nutrition Societies Conference held this month. It seems new research by an international team of nutrition scientists shows conclusive evidence of improved brain growth and development, increased attention, and improved learning. How does fish come into play? Well, of particular interest is a range of health problems among New Zealand children that are being attributed to diets lacking oily fish and other foods rich in Omega-3s.

The effects of Omega-3 are so powerful that experts recommend kids increase their consumption as much as five times their current level. They also suggest healthcare professionals consider Omega-3s as an adjunct to treatment for kids with development brain disorders like ADHD and dyslexia.

And there you have it. My kids need fish. And so I will serve them fish, even if for just one day each week.

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Carbs might be bad for your waistline, but it's thought that they might be good for you're brain, or at least that's what this article seems to say. In a study involving people who followed a high-fat/low-carb plan and those who followed a high-carb/low-fat plan, those in the latter group were the ones who showed improvement to their cognitive processing when given a series of tests.

But other than that, researchers found few other differences between the two groups -- their moods were about the same, and members from both groups were still losing weight.

What do you think of these findings? Me, I'm surprised that mood wasn't more of a factor -- I've heard of low-carb diets causing massive mood swings.

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We hear the terms "dementia" and "Alzheimer's" quite often, and we even make jokes about having them when we can't remember where we parked our car in the parking lot or why went to the kitchen. But what are Alzheimer's and dementia really?

Dementia is defined as a significant loss of cognitive abilities caused by the death of brain cells. Dementia is a general term that can apply to any number of more specific conditions, such as Alzheimer's, which define the symptoms even further.

What's important to remember is that Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia are generally characterized by memory problems that are so severe they interfere with daily functions. Little "glitches," like temporarily spacing out your ATM pin number and forgetting where you put your car keys, don't always mean dementia and could be due to any number of other causes such as stress, lack of sleep, and medications. But if you feel you or someone close to you may have a serious problem don't hesitate to see a doctor and get a cognitive exam -- many times if caught early progress can be slowed and symptoms can be managed effectively.

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One hundred years ago, only 3 million people in this country were aged 65 or older. Today, more than 36 million Americans are in this age group, and that number is expected to grow during the next 25 years to over 70 million as baby boomers age.

Regular physical activity, keeping the mind busy, and a healthy diet are key to healthy aging and physical independence. Not only does it keep the body strong, but keeping the body moving protects and improves your emotional and cognitive health and people who mentally challenge themselves, and stay connected with loved ones are less likely to suffer from anxiety, depression, short-term memory loss, and illness in general. Maintaining a healthy diet keeps the body and mind sharper. Avoid high sodium, sugar, and high fat diets. Stay away from smoking or heavy alcohol use.

Regular walking and aerobic exercise is proven to help manage depression, anxiety, and stress and maintains balance, strength, and flexibility, which are key to preventing injuries and falls. Challenging your intellect on a daily basis by reading, learning a new musical instrument or language, doing crossword puzzles, or playing games of strategy or cards with others will keep the brain active and developing and less likely to lose its power and memory. Eating healthy will maintain your weight, as well as keep a handle on developing diabetic, heart, or colon problems.

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We could all use more brain power to work with (I know I could!), and as we get older that issue seems to be more and more important. Physical fitness is an important part of staying mentally sharp, but there are lots of other things that have also been shown to help. Here are 10 things you can do to boost your brain power!

• Lifelong learning
• Specialized computer programs
• Social interaction
• Stimulating daily activities
• Reducing chronic stress
• Getting enough sleep
• Getting enough exercise
• Taking care of your emotional health
• Getting good nutrition

Pretty much everything on this list are things you're probably already trying to do for other health reasons, but it just goes to show how such a complicated system like the human body really is interconnected, and that it has amazingly simple needs: just take care of yourself!

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People who suffer from chronic back pain also seem to suffer from memory problems. Very specific memory problems, actually: short-term prospective memory problems. Prospective memory is the memory of future intentions, like appointments and other things on your to-do list. Individuals with chronic pain had significantly higher "memory failure" rates than those who were pain-free.

Experts think it could be due to the well-known links between pain and stress, and stress and cognitive function. It could also be related to the steroid and pain-medication treatments that the majority of people with back pain undergo.

On a separate, but somewhat related and surprising note, memory may actually be enhanced by a different kind of pain: migraines.

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Earlier this week two articles were published on the same day both regarding migraines, so what do you want first: the good news or the bad? Well I can't hear you so we'll just start with the bad news: migraines may put you at increased risk for having a heart attack. And then the good news! Migraines may help boost your memory.

The fact that migraines and heart disease are linked is not a completely new idea, although doctors and scientists are still trying to uncover if it's related to inflammation or genetics or what exactly. But the memory thing, well that's a surprise. Researchers originally went into the study, which started back in 1993, expecting to find that migraines caused cumulative brain damage over time, not brain protection.

Just goes to show you never know what to expect.

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I've read studies before regarding how men and women metabolize alcohol differently, and that a woman will feel the effects of a drink sooner than a man of the same weight. But now there's new research that takes that principle one step farther: women don't just feel the immediate/short-term effects sooner, but the long-term ones also. In a study of female and male alcoholics the women suffered negative health effects, specifically brain damage, much faster than the men did.

Of course alcoholism is widely understood as damaging and unhealthy, but it is also widely underdiagnosed. Understanding the risks and not shoving the issue to the background is an important part of prevention.

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