Protect and preserve your brain and heart
January 17th 2012 04:50
If you're like me, you want to keep your brain in good working order until the end of your days. That's why a recent study in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) suggesting that our ability to reason and remember begins waning as early as age 45 hit hard. The bad news is that brain function begins faltering far earlier in life than previously thought.
The good news is that it's possible to protect your brain. The authors of the BMJ study, and of other studies before it, note that positive lifestyle habits – the same ones that promote heart health - may lower the risk for developing dementia.
The Mediterranean diet, which emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fish, and olive oil, is one style of protective eating
"What's good for the heart is good for the brain," says Samantha Heller MS, RD, and author of Get Smart: Samantha Heller's Nutrition Prescription for Boosting Brain Power and Optimizing Total Body Health.
A poor diet and excess body weight increases the risk for high blood pressure, diabetes and elevated blood cholesterol levels, which may with time, damage your brain and your heart.
Nutrition experts tout an eating plan rich in whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, low-fat dairy, and lean protein foods as one that benefits the heart and brain. The Mediterranean diet, which emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fish, and olive oil, is one style of protective eating. The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH), recently voted as the best diet to follow in U.S. News & World Report, is another.
In several scientific studies, DASH has been proven to naturally lower blood pressure, a major risk factor for heart attack and stroke. That's not all DASH can do, however.
"The DASH diet is rich in vitamins and other compounds, including antioxidants, that nourish and protect brain cells, " says Marla Heller, MS, RD, author of The DASH Diet Action Plan.
Heller, who is no relation to Samantha Heller, says DASH promotes less inflammation in the body by emphasizing foods low in saturated and trans fats. Inflammation contributes to heart disease and decreased brain function.
Work out your body and brain
Exercise works wonders for your body and benefits your brain, too.
Physically active adults have a lower risk of age-related declines in thinking, learning, and judgment skills. They also have less heart disease, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, and suffer from fewer sudden heart attacks.
"Regular exercise supports the growth and survival of neurons, the nerve cells in the brain, and keeps your brain from shrinking with time," Samantha Heller says. Brain shrinkage is associated with dementia and cognitive decline."
Generally speaking, dementia and heart disease take decades to develop. But it's never too early, or too late, to make changes for a healthier heart and mind.
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