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How to sharpen your mental function?
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Family "Brain Decline is NOT an Inevitable Part of Aging - 3 Things You Can Do"You don't have to accept those frustrating and embarrassing "senior moments" as normal, because in this articleyou're going to discover 3 simple steps you can take to break all the rules, sharpen your mental function and promote thehealth of your brain as you age.* Plus: the ultimate stress buster everyone should know about.Your brain is your most complex organ and it’s also the one most vulnerable to everyday stressors. Stress, emotions, exposure to environmental factors, diet and lack of specific nutrients can all take a toll on your brain every day of your life. All these stressors can impact your brain’s functioning. And when that happens, most people brush it off as “just growing older”. Indeed, your cognitive function – which includes your ability to think, focus, concentrate and remember names and other important facts – can naturally begin to decline around the age of 40. Some aspects of normal age-related cognitive decline can even begin in healthy young adults in their 20s and 30s. But you needn’t accept these changes as “normal” as you grow older Researchers today tell us a decline in brain function is not necessarily an inevitable part of growing older. Rather, there’s much you can do to help promote optimal brain function as you age.* Less-Than-Optimal Brain Function – What Do YOU Notice?Researchers have identified five functions that appear to be the first ones to decline as a normal part of aging:
The aspect of your brain function that typically begins to decline first is connected with your processing capacity or your working memory capability. Wouldn’t it be great if there were ways to help maintain or improve your working memory capability instead?* 3 Keys to Promoting Good Cognitive FunctionI believe there is much you can do to help maintain optimal brain function, including your working memory capability. To begin with, you must be sure you're covering the basics – the essential elements for optimal cognitive function. Exercising your brain is essential for maintaining optimal function. Learning and using new skills, adopting new and varied daily routines, and engaging in creative activities stimulate brain activity and new neural connections. In my opinion, these 3 factors play a powerful role in maintaining sharp mental function, even as you age:
I'll go into each of these in a bit more detail to equip you with useful information you can apply, starting today. We'll also explore some exciting discoveries science has uncovered in the last few years for brain health. How Exercise Promotes Your Brain HealthIf you wish to help maintain a sharp mind as you age, it's critical that you regularly engage in some form of exercise. Exercise…
Researchers at a well-known university have uncovered some clues as to why exercise is so good for your brain. As you age, the stem cells in your brain tend to become less active and you produce fewer new cells, which may slow your brain function. How Exercise Builds New Brain CellsThe most recent research suggests that when you exercise even moderate amounts, you can trigger your brain to activate the division of stem cells and promote the production of new brain cells. Not exercising, you say? Half of all people don’t get enough exercise and one-fourth don’t exercise at all, mainly due to time restraints. It’s not too late to get started. Even if you make the commitment today to start exercising regularly, it can be beneficial. In fact, regular exercise, even initiated later in life, can help slow the aging process, including the aging of your brain. Exercise is that important. Ideally you want to include variety in your exercise program. For a complete routine, try to incorporate strength training, aerobics, core-building activities, and stretching. I provide a wealth of information on my website to help you put together your perfect workout routine. There’s one type of
exercise I favor most and that’s Peak
8. With Peak 8,
you get a far more effective workout than with aerobic exercises walking, running on a treadmill or using an elliptical machine. And here’s another thing you’ll love about Peak 8. Because it’s so efficient, you’ll shave hours off your exercise time each week. Whatever you choose to do, the most important thing is to get started today if you haven't already. Controlling Your Mental and Emotional Stress for a Healthy BrainWhen you feel stressed, your adrenal and pituitary glands go into their “flight or fight” mode and dump adrenaline, cortisol and dopamine into your bloodstream. When there’s a false alarm – as is the case with most everyday stress – these powerful substances can overload your brain,
meaning less-than-optimal health for your brain cells. Cortisol in particular
can be problematic when released too When cortisol is continually present, it can lead to less-than-optimal memory function. Too much cortisol can also affect your mood. To avoid these unhealthy effects in your brain, I believe you must learn how to relax and allow your body to return to a healthy balance. When this happens, healthy brain chemicals can function optimally. Promoting a healthy balance and banishing cortisol after an episode of stress is not difficult and gets easier with practice, even for those who find it difficult to relax. The Ultimate
Stress-Buster that I Believe Belongs in
|
FOOD |
PS Content (mg/100g) |
Cow Brain |
713 |
Organ meat |
305 |
Beef |
85 |
Beans |
107 |
Chicken leg (with skin) |
134 |
Whole Milk |
1 |
Mackerel |
480 |
Herring |
360 |
**figures taken from USDA Database
Most people are not willing to eat organ meats (nor do I recommend them from conventionally-raised animals). And I don't suggest you use soy lecithin because of the negative qualities associated with soy.
Overall, the average daily PS intake from the diet in the U.S. falls around 130 mg. This level is in stark contrast to those seen only 30 years ago, which were nearly double.
Why such a drastic change?
Mostly a change in eating habits. In an attempt to reduce their cholesterol levels, folks have followed their doctors' orders and have shied away from good sources of PS, such as liver, whole milk and egg yolks.
Many doctors today still advise their patients to lower their total cholesterol levels, although I believe that scientific research doesn’t support this, I believe it can be a potentially dangerous practice.
Another cause for reduced levels of PS in the food supply falls on food production technology. The technology used in today’s production of fats and oils can decrease their natural phospholipids, including PS.
If you follow a vegetarian diet, you are subjecting yourself to an even greater risk of PS-deficiency. Vegetarian diets tend to supply less than 50 mg of phosphatidylserine.
Further, when you get too few omega-3 fatty acids in your diet, you can reduce the amount of phosphatidylserine in your brain by almost a third. In doing so, you can reduce your brain’s ability to process, store and retrieve information optimally.*
Choline is another phospholipid and essential component of your cell membranes. It’s also the precursor for acetylcholine, which is one of the major chemical messengers for memories, thoughts, and other brain functions.*
This makes choline very important for the optimal functioning of your brain and for the number of changes that occur during the natural aging process.*
There are various forms of choline, but GPC (Glycerophosphocholine) is the bioactive form of choline. Unlike the other forms of choline, GPC is the form that has substantial clinical evidence behind it for its direct effect on healthy brain functions.*
GPC is naturally occurring in limited quantities in eggs, milk, nuts, fish, certain vegetables, organ meats, as well as in human breast milk.
Milk and organ meats are clearly your best sources, but as I’ve already advised, I recommend avoiding organ meats from non-organically grown animals.
Here are the amounts of bioactive choline (GPC) you can find in your daily diet:
Food: |
GPC (Bioactive Choline) content (mg/100g): |
Whole egg, raw |
0.6 |
Chicken liver,
cooked |
5.4 |
Red cabbage, raw |
4.0 |
Beans, pinto, cooked |
1.3 |
**figures taken from USDA Database for the Choline Content of Common Foods
Although it is available in a limited quantity of foods, these natural sources may provide insufficient amounts for optimal brain health, especially as you age.*
For instance, to get the same levels that the “normal” American got from his or her diet only 30 years ago, you’d have to consume 13 glasses of milk!
Essential fatty acids are critical to your brain and overall health but cannot be made by your body.* You must get them from your diet
Omega-3 fatty acids supply the vital compounds, DHA and EPA.
DHA appears to have a central role in nerve and brain cell function and emerging research suggests that limited availability can lead to less-than-optimal cognitive function.*
DHA is a long-chained fatty and is richly concentrated in your brain and eyes. One of the major building blocks for brain cells, DHA is especially important for rapidly developing brains in children under age two and emerging research suggests that it is a major factor in promoting optimal behavior and learning in children.*
As you age, the composition of your nerve cells’ membrane may change, and as a result, the membrane may become more rigid and less able to transmit electrical charges as easily from nerve cell to nerve cell.
Reduction of this critical communication between nerve cells may lead to less-than-optimal functioning of your brain and nervous system.
In an epidemiological study at a major university in 2007 among a very large group of elderly Americans, those with the highest blood levels of DHA experienced better cognitive health over a nine-year period.* Of course, epidemiological studies measure a correlation and not causation.
The top 25 percent of those with the highest blood DHA received about 180 mg DHA a day, according to researchers.
For the last two years, we've been busily working to find a way to capture what I consider to be the very best nutrients available for cognitive support.*
By now you know how important Choline, PS, DHA and EPA are to your brain's health.*
What you may not realize is how we’ve been able to bring Choline and PS together with Krill Oil, my favorite source of the star omega-3s EPA and DHA to come up with a comprehensive brain health supplement.*
Let me quickly remind you what makes Krill Oil so extraordinary:
I can’t emphasize enough the significance of Krill Oil’s astaxanthin.
Krill are tiny sea creatures that whales and other fish depend on for nourishment. And they happen to be loaded with what I consider THE most powerful antioxidant on the planet -- astaxanthin.*
Astaxanthin is what gives lobsters, wild Salmon, and krill their brilliant crimson hue.
The original source of the red pigment astaxanthin is from the microalgae Haematoccous pluvialis.
When the microalgae’s water supply dries up, it produces the red pigment as a protective measure.
A member of the carotenoid family, along with beta-carotene, lycopene, and lutein, astaxanthin is by far the “super” antioxidant.*
What makes it so “super”?
When singlet-oxygen quenching rates are compared, Astaxanthin is…
Further, astaxanthin shows very strong free radical scavenging ability and protects your brain and nervous system cells from oxidative damage.*
What also makes astaxanthin especially impressive – and important for your brain in particular – is its ability to cross the blood-brain barriers to support brain health.*
Humans can’t produce their own astaxanthin, so the only way to get a natural source is to eat something that’s in the food chain of the microalgae itself.
( More details: http://krilloil.mercola.com/krill-iq.html )
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