Written By: Dr. Sareh Kamran, Ph.D. in Pharmacology
Date: May 18, 2023
Title: Forever Sharp: How to Maintain Brain Health and Combat Cognitive Aging
As we age, it is natural for our cognitive abilities to decline. However, there are steps we can take to maintain our brain health and prevent age-related cognitive decline. In this blog post, we will explore the strategies for maintaining brain health and preventing age-related cognitive decline.
Strategies for Maintaining Brain Health:
Maintaining brain health involves engaging in regular physical exercise to boost blood flow and neural growth, following a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats for essential nutrients, and participating in mentally stimulating activities like reading and puzzles to form new neural connections. Additionally, social interaction is crucial as it supports cognitive function by promoting neurotrophic factors, and managing stress through techniques such as meditation, yoga, or deep breathing helps reduce the risk of cognitive decline.
Strategies for Preventing Age-Related Cognitive Decline
To prevent age-related cognitive decline, engage in cognitive training activities like memory games and computerized programs to improve brain function, ensure 7-8 hours of sleep per night while maintaining good sleep hygiene, and have regular medical check-ups to manage conditions that affect cognition. Additionally, review medications with a healthcare provider to avoid those that may impair cognitive function, quit smoking, limit alcohol consumption, and avoid drug use to reduce the risk of cognitive decline.
Moreover, the role of customized supplements in cognitive health is gaining interest as they are tailored to individual needs based on factors like age, gender, health status, and nutritional deficiencies. These supplements aim to support cognitive function by addressing specific nutritional requirements, offering benefits such as personalized nutrition to address deficiencies, targeted support for specific cognitive functions, and optimized intake of essential nutrients like omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants. Customized supplements provide a comprehensive approach, combining various nutrients to support brain health synergistically, and can be adjusted over time to meet changing needs, making them a flexible and ongoing solution for cognitive support. Incorporating these supplements into a holistic approach, including a balanced diet, regular exercise, mental stimulation, and other lifestyle factors, can help maintain cognitive function and potentially slow cognitive decline with age.
Recent advancements in cognitive health include multivitamin supplements and brain stimulation techniques. Studies show that daily multivitamin supplements can significantly improve memory and slow cognitive aging in older adults, offering a simple and effective strategy for maintaining brain health. Brain stimulation techniques, such as transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), have been shown to enhance cognitive abilities by promoting cortical plasticity and new neural network formation, particularly benefiting individuals with conditions like Alzheimer’s disease. These innovations represent significant progress in cognitive health, providing new strategies to enhance memory, slow cognitive decline, and improve cognitive abilities across all ages, with further research needed to optimize their effectiveness and understand their mechanisms fully.
