Altering Lifestyle Habits Halt Brain Shrinkage and Cognitive Decline

The result of a new studypublished in the journalNeurology (the medical journal of theAmerican Academy of Neurology) has found that poor lifestyle habits and relatedhealth disorders such as smoking, overweight and obesity, diabetes and highblood pressure cause brain shrinkage and cognitive decline.

Researchers determined that theseconditions when present during middle age predicated lower brain volume andprecursor markers for dementia up to a decade later. Identifying andcontrolling these risk factors early is a critical step in preventing loss of cognitivefunction and memory in later life.

Detrimental Lifestyle Practices Directly Impact Brain Health

To conduct the study, researchersexamined a cohortof 1,352 people with an average age of 54 from the Framingham Offspring Study.The participants were weighed and body mass index and waist circumference wereestablished along with blood pressure and cholesterol tests and blood glucose readingsto detect for diabetes. Additionally, MRI brain scans were completed over thecourse of a decade with the first test performed seven years after the originalbiomarker benchmark.

Researchers found that thoseparticipants with high blood pressure developed a condition identified as`white matter `hyperintensities` or small areas of damage to the delicatevessel structure of the brain. Hypertensive participants were much more likelyto demonstrate worsening scores on tests of executive function compared tothose with normal bloodpressure readings. The study authors found that this single factornegatively affected planning and decision making processes and correspondedwith five to eight years of premature chronological brain aging.

Smoking Cessation and Controlling Diabetes and Obesity Key to ImprovedCognition

Diabetes in middle age wasassociated with loss of brain volume in the memory-forming hippocampus regionat a much faster rate than non-diabetics. Smokers were found to experience bothaccelerated brain volume shrinkage and white matter hyperintensities at a muchfaster rate than non-diabetic participants that did not smoke. Obeseindividuals were in the top quarter of those most likely to display loss ofexecutive function and rapid rate of cognitive decline.

The lead study author, Dr.Charles DeCarli concluded that the four studiedrisk factors “provide evidence thatidentifying these risk factors early in people of middle age could be useful inscreening people for at-risk dementia and encouraging people to make changes totheir lifestyle before it`s too late”. Poor lifestyle choices are wellknown to contribute to a host of potentially lethal conditions and this body ofresearch continues to add to the existing evidence. Health-consciousindividuals will insist on a well balanced reduced calorie, low-refinedcarbohydrate diet along with regular physical activity to prevent obesity,hypertension, diabetes and cognitive decay.

Vitamin K Prevents Arterial Plaque and Slows Cognitive Decline

Vitamin K is a critical nutrientwidely known for its ability to promote normal blood clotting. A wealth of new informationdemonstrates that this vitamin in its multiple forms can provide a powerfulanti-inflammatory shield to protect against many lethal diseases of aging. Writingin theJournal of Nutrition, researchersshow that vitamin K works with other fat-soluble nutrients to protect the brainfrom arterial calcification that leads to a stroke or cognitive decline.

Vitamin K works to prevent thedeposition of calcium within arterial walls and ushers the mineral toward thenormal construction of bone throughout the body. The research provides proofthat eating a healthy diet to maintain adequate stores of vitamin K over alifetime can help prevent arterial hardening, atherosclerosis and cognitivedecline.

Vitamin K Slows Cognitive Decline by Supporting Brain Health

To determine the effect ofvitamin K on cognitivefunction, researchers studied three groups of mice that were broken into a low,adequate, or high level of vitamin K supplemented in their diet over the courseof their lifetime. Vitamin K is a fat soluble nutrient that can easily crossthe blood-brain barrier to provide antioxidant support to a critical organ composedprimarily of omega-3 fats. 

Researchers found that vitamin K playsan important role in “maintaining thewhite matter region of the brain by supporting the myelin sheathing thatprotects axons, connecting glial cells together with axons, and facilitatingthe speed at which your brain functions.” Animals with the lowestsupplemental vitamin K levels displayed the highest degree of cognitive declineas they grew older, compared with the highest vitamin K group.

Vitamin K2 Inhibits Coronary Artery Calcification to Halt Heart Disease

Scientists publishing in the journalAtherosclerosis determined the effectof vitamin K on 564 post-menopausal women. The study was designed to contrastdietary intake of both the phylloquinone (vitamin K1) and menaquinone (vitaminK2) with coronary artery calcification (atherosclerosis or hardening of thearteries). Researchers found that the K2 form of vitamin K was associated witha significant decrease in coronary artery calcification, while vitamin K1 didnot appear to impact disease progression.

Dark green leafy vegetablesprovide a healthy dose of vitamin K1 but are not a significant source ofvitamin K2, the form shown to yield protection against arterial hardening anddementia. Fermented foods such as natto, egg yolks and certain cheeses providehigh levels of K2, although many people may choose to avoid these foods. Health-mindedindividuals will need to supplement with a quality supplement providing thefull range of vitamin K isomers (1000 - 2000 mcg per day) to avertatherosclerosis and cognitive function decline.

Carnitine and Lipoic Acid Lowers Diabetes and Dementia Risks

Diabetes is a devastating disease that results from an inability to properly metabolize glucose resulting from poor insulin function. Researchers writing in the Journal of Clinical Biochemistry and Nutrition found that the naturally occurring cellular antioxidant, alpha lipoic acid has the ability to correct abnormal insulin signaling and resistance that are known to promote disease development.

Lipoic acid is shown to rejuvenate energy production in the critical mitochondria and enhance the metabolism of sugars and carbohydrates to restore proper insulin activity. Most health-minded individuals will need to supplement with the biologically active `R` form of this critical antioxidant to effectively thwart metabolic disease and diabetes progression.

Alpha Lipoic Acid Improves Cellular Insulin Function to Thwart Diabetes Progression

Alpha lipoic acid instructs our body`s trillions of cells to effectively burn glucose to be used as a fuel for metabolism and energy production. The result of this study demonstrates that the cofactor compound provides a critical link between the antioxidant status within a cell and normal insulin function. When insulin becomes resistant or ineffective due to the stress of continually high levels of blood glucose, metabolism suffers and diabetes is the end result.

Researchers found that r-alpha lipoic acid (100 mg daily) influences cellular antioxidant nutrients and enzymes. The compound was shown to have a profound influence on these critical protective structures so a perfectly efficient balance was restored that allowed them to perform optimally. As a result, proper gene signaling was restored and insulin and glucose metabolism improved. The study was the first to show that insulin regulation in a cell is closely controlled by antioxidant status, and antioxidant deterioration through poor diet and lifestyle trigger metabolic syndrome and diabetes. Alpha lipoic acid helps to restore cellular antioxidant synergy and can stave off diabetes.

Acetyl-L-Carnitine Inhibits the Formation of Amyloid Brain Tangles

In addition to the amazing health benefits experienced by people supplementing with alpha lipoic acid, another naturally occurring nutrient is showing the ability to boost mood, improve cognitive function and help retain memory loss as we age. Researchers writing in the Journal Neurochemistry documents the precise mechanism that acetyl-l-carnitine (500 mg, twice daily) exhibits to help prevent the formation of brain tangles that are the hallmark of Alzheimer`s disease.

Scientists found that mice supplemented with acetyl-l-carnitine for a period of two weeks protects against the formation of the tau protein tangles that are a hallmark in the development of the memory-robbing form of dementia. While tau proteins are a normal part of nerve cell construction, they are known to accumulate in a hyperactive fashion that can result in cognitive decline and memory loss. Acetyl-l carnitine helps tau proteins behave properly by interceding at the gene and molecular level to prevent dementia and memory decline.

Nature has bestowed us with a multitude of natural compounds that are particularly effective in promoting human health. Alpha lipoic acid and acetyl-l-carnitine are shown to help prevent metabolic dysfunction, diabetes and loss of cognition. Following a natural diet filled with fresh organic vegetables and fruits along with regular physical activity will help to restore youthful levels of these two super-nutrients. Some health-conscious adults may want to supplement to ensure optimal cellular saturation and disease risk reduction.

Dark Chocolate Cocoa Flavanols Aid Vision and Improve Cognitive Function

Potent cacao flavanols from dark chocolate have proven effective in lowering the risk from heart disease and sudden heart attack in recent studies. Writing in the journal Physiology and Behavior, researchers demonstrate that antioxidants released by consumption of cocoa products can improve multiple aspects of eyesight and cognitive performance.

Scientists from the University of Reading found that improvements in visual function were evident for two and a half hours after ingesting foods high in cocoa flavanols (CF) and certain cognitive brain functions were enhanced. Small amounts of unsweetened dark chocolate can aid visual acuity and boost memory performance.

Cacao Consumption from Dark Chocolate Improves Visual Acuity

Prior research studies have shown that the consumption of CF have improved markers of blood hemodynamics, increasing both central and peripheral blood flow. Increased blood flow is an important factor in cerebral health and function and is also essential to the heart and enhanced eyesight.

The study involved 30 healthy adults aged 18 to 25 that were fed either 35 grams of dark chocolate or an equal amount of white chocolate at one week intervals. Visual acuity of the subjects was tested two hours after ingesting each form of the chocolate and set to determine the effect eating a high cocoa flavanol load (dark chocolate) compared with the low CF condition (white chocolate).

Visual sensitivity was tested by reading numbers that became progressively more similar to the background. Motion sensitivity was determined by detecting moving signal dots against a random motion background. Additionally, cognitive function was assessed by determining the reaction time required to engage processes of attention and inhibition.

The researchers found that participants ingesting the highest amount of cocoa flavanols improved visual contrast sensitivity, and reduced the amount of time needed to detect random motion. The study authors noted of their findings “A reduction in the time required to integrate visual motion could be beneficial in time critical everyday tasks, such as driving. The effect on the simpler early phase of the choice reaction time task suggests that CF can increase response speed in simple tasks.”

Cocoa Flavanols Improve Cognitive Function and Mental Fatigue

An independent study published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology examined the effect of cocoa flavanols on sustained levels of cognitive function and mental fatigue. 30 healthy adults consumed drinks containing 520 mg, 994 mg or a control placebo and were tested with a Cognitive Demand Battery to determine memory and ability to accomplish new tasks. Participants were also asked to self-rate themselves on a standard `mental fatigue` scale.

Scientists found that those subjects consuming the CF drinks experienced significant improvement in all cognitive ability tests performed. Mental fatigue was `significantly attenuated` by consumption of the drink containing 520 mg of CF. Natural flavanols have been shown to exert powerful effects on many aspects of health, and cocoa flavanols taken before periods of cognitive demand prove beneficial to memory, learning and fatigue reduction.