“…people with mild cognitive impairment such as Alzheimer’s and people with a clinical diagnosis of mental illness including depression and schizophrenia…”
While the articles/studies linked below are very different they both report the importance of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) for brain health. To put it differently, to slow the natural decline of cognitive function, there are non-toxic therapies shown to increase BDNF which may help Alzheimer’s, depression, etc. In short, exercise and nutrition/supplements can enhance brain health by slowing the natural aging of our brains.
My keen interest in my own brain health began with a diagnosis of chemobrain about 20 years ago following aggressive chemotherapy for my cancer, multiple myeloma.
I exercise frequently/moderately, and I supplement with curcumin, omega 3 fatty acids (fish oil), cocoa and I love my two cups of coffee every morning. While I would never claim that my brain function is perfect, I will say that evidence-based non-toxic brain health therapies like the ones discussed below help my brain function immensely.
Have you been diagnosed with dementia, alzheimer’s, etc. Please scroll down the page, post a question or comment and I will reply to you ASAP.
Thank you,
David Emerson
- Myeloma Survivor
- MM Cancer Coach
- Director PeopleBeatingCancer
“Aerobic exercise can improve memory function and maintain brain health as we age, a new Australian-led study has found…
Brain health decreases with age, with the average brain shrinking by approximately five per cent per decade after the age of 40…
The researchers systematically reviewed 14 clinical trials which examined the brain scans of 737 people before and after aerobic exercise programs or in control conditions.
The participants included a mix of healthy adults, people with mild cognitive impairment such as Alzheimer’s and people with a clinical diagnosis of mental illness including depression and schizophrenia. Ages ranged from 24 to 76 years with an average age of 66...
Overall, the results – published in the journal NeuroImage– showed that, while exercise had no effect on total hippocampal volume, it did significantly increase the size of the left region of the hippocampus in humans…
“When you exercise you produce a chemical called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which may help to prevent age-related decline by reducing the deterioration of the brain,” Mr Firth said.
“Our data showed that, rather than actually increasing the size of the hippocampus per se, the main ‘brain benefits’ are due to aerobic exercise slowing down the deterioration in brain size. In other words, exercise can be seen as a maintenance program for the brain.””
““Researchers at the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center recently reported intriguing evidence that people with higher levels of an important nerve growth factor called BDNF tended to keep more of their cognitive functions even as amyloid built up…In fact people who had more BDNF activity saw 50% slower rate of cognitive decline over the study’s six years than those with lower activity.” – Alzheimer’s From a New Angle (Time Magazine, Feb 2016)
- Fish oil –
- Curcumin-
- Cocoa –
- Coffee-
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