memory,” Perlmutter notes. Eat a brain-building diet. Aside from cutting calories, experts say it’s critical to load up on foods that boost neurogen- esis (the development of new brain cells) and stall brain atrophy. Eating more fish (or omega-3 supple- ments), adding fruits and vegetables and cutting back on refined car- bohydrates do just that, advises Dr. Christiane Northrup, obstetrician, gynecologist and author of Women’s Bodies Women’s Wis- dom. “The brain is mostly made up of omega-3 fats, and many women, in particular, are lacking them in their diet,” she observes. Perlmutter notes that supplement-
ing one’s intake of omega-3 fatty acid DHA, present in fatty fish and marine algae, has been shown to switch on the genes that jumpstart BDNF production. DHA is also anti-inflammatory and promotes healthy blood flow to the brain. But people shouldn’t wait too
long to load up on it. One 2010 trial of
485 healthy adults with mild memory complaints found that those who took 900 milligrams per day of algae-based DHA supple- ments for six months made significantly fewer errors on memory tests than they had at the study’s onset. Another study by the National Institute
on Aging, however, found that DHA supplementation had little impact on patients once severe de- mentia had set in. So, sooner is better. Healthy fats aside, dark-colored
fruits such as blackberries, blueberries and plums are all rich with antioxi- dants, substances known to scavenge cell-damaging free radicals in the brain. Also, cruciferous vegetables like broccoli and broccoli sprouts contain a powerful compound called sulfora- phane, believed to boost the body’s own production of antioxidants. One famous 2005 study followed 13,388 women over several decades,
and found that those that ate the most cruciferous vegetables and leafy greens stayed mentally sharp for far longer than those that ate the least. New research from Rush University, in Chi- cago, further suggests that a deficiency of B12
, found in fish, liver, milk and
eggs, may hasten brain shrinkage as previously functioning cells die off. Overloading on refined carbohy-
drates like white flour, pasta and pota- toes carries a similar result. “Elevated blood sugar can destroy the brain,” advises Perlmutter, pointing to a 2005 study in the journal Neurology, which linked accelerated brain shrinkage with elevated blood sugar. Prevent hormonal havoc. Ebbing hormones can also have a measurable impact on our ability to recall words and follow through on tasks, says Hawaii naturopathic physician Laurie Steelsmith, author of Natural Choices for Women’s Health. One 2009 University of California
study of 2,362 women between the ages of 42 and 52 found that 60 per- cent suffered memory and mental-pro-
natural awakenings
February 2012
23
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