Advice On Keeping Your Brain Young

posted on 10/11/2009

Until recently it was thought there wasn't much that could be done to curb the affects age has on our cognitive abilities. Research of late has determined that we can do some things to curb age related changes in our brains.

Eating blueberries may help sharpen your mental abilities as well. A National Institute on Aging and Tufts University study theorized that the dark pigmentation in blueberries was the reason. It contains antioxidants that aid in learning and memory.

Frozen blueberries are just as nutritious as fresh. Make a smoothie with frozen blueberries in the winter. In addition to blueberries try drinking green tea at least twice a day and two supplements you can try are ginkgo biloba and gotu kola. Nuts, seaweed or nori, and healthy fats like Omega-3's should be a part of your daily food intake. Olive oil, almond oil, fish oil, and flaxseed oils are rich in monounsaturated fats.

Playing Sodoku and working crossword puzzles can take off ten years of your cognitive age. Three thousand elderly men and women, participated in a University of Alabama study, exercised and sharpened their mental abilities so much that their brains functioned like people more than 10 years younger.

Prayer and meditation act as a great stress reliever. A new study from Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston has shown it increased brain capacity. The cortex controls memory, language, and sensory processing showed growth in participants who prayed or meditated daily.

Keep your alcohol intake to a healthy limit. One glass per day is considered healthy and drinking red wine is great for your heart. Quit smoking altogether.

Flossing your teeth at least once a day and brushing your teeth for 2 minutes at least twice a day helps as well. Researchers and dentists in Britain have determined that oral health is linked to mental health. Participants between the ages 20 to 59, that had gingivitis and periodontal disease showed the worse cognitive function. It was shown to be the norm throughout their adult life and not just in their old age.

Exercising is great for the body and mind. Walking for just 50 minutes a day or 10,000 steps has been found to increase mental acuity. Surprisingly it was found that walking in a nature setting was even more of a boost to people than those who walked in the city. It might be the chirping of the birds or the lack of hustle and bustle of the city.

Keeping in touch with friends and family and other social outlets is also key to stave off the effects age has on our brains. Practice these tips and you could keep dementia at bay. A great site to challenge and strengthen the brain is http://www.lumosity.com/.