Fitness for Our Brain!
By June M. Lay, Lifestyle Columnist - HealthNewsDigest.com
May 8, 2006
(HealthNewsDigest.com)..
When we increase our health and fitness by eating healthy and exercising, we're
also taking steps to increase our brain fitness. But how many of us think about
exercising and eating healthy food in order to increase our brain fitness? How
about mental exercises, can they increase our brain fitness too? Okay, here's
the question, can we slow down the age related cognitive decline that
accompanies each decade of age (please keep in mind that we are not discussing
Alzheimer's Disease here a complicated disease with genetic components)? Can we
anti-age not just our body but our brain too?
I recently sparked a debate one early morning at the gym upon questioning the
validity of an article which appeared in a prominent New York newspaper journal.
As common, so many of us read the latest headlines, and take them as fact. So
off I went to look a little deeper. The article titled " Oops! Mental
Training, Crosswords Fail to Slow Decline of Aging Brain" reported that
there is a lack of empirical evidence against anti-aging our brain by doing
mental exercises such as crossword puzzles. The article quoted a recently
published research meta-analysis paper titled Mental Exercise and Mental Aging
that basically presented the argument against the age old "Use it or Lose
it hypothesis:
"very few studies have found an interactive effect of age and mental
activity on measures of cognitive functioning". (Thomas Salthouse,
Perspectives in Psychological Science, March 06).
The purpose of this newspaper article was to present an argument refuting
studies that do positively correlate mental exercises (puzzles, reading,
learning etc) with a decrease in age related cognitive abilities. I found three
problems with our prominent newspaper article,
A) it left out an important statement which finishes the researcher's quote I
gave above, "Despite the current lack of empirical evidence for the idea
that the rate of mental aging is moderated by amount of mental activity, there
may be personal benefits to assuming that the mental-exercise hypothesis is
true" b) it quotes a study (titled The "Active" Study) that is
not concluded, hence it has not been published in any scientific journal as of
yet and the author himself of the paper "Mental Exercise and Mental
Aging" goes on to state in his research analysis regarding this study,
"but some of the interpretations of the findings have been somewhat
misleading". and lastly,
c) it does not present recent studies that do show a high positive correlation
between mental exercise and the moderating of age related cognitive decline. So
what do we really know?
Research has shown that the brains of highly educated people have more brain
cell connections (dendrite branching) than those who either had lower
educational achievement or did not practice mental exercises that involve
learning or thinking (crossword puzzles) etc. What this is basically is saying
is that if we challenge our minds intellectually, we may continue to grow brain
matter. In fact, here's an argument in favor for working those puzzles:
To help the brain keep up this lifelong juggling act, researchers are
increasingly coming to view a healthy brain as a "worked out" brain --
one that is regularly stimulated and challenged by rigorous mind-taxing tasks. A
lifestyle that includes such routine mental activities will increase alertness
and agility of thought well into the golden years, while perhaps forestalling
the onset of age-related dementia. "The more you do mentally stimulating
activities -- such as crossword puzzles or playing chess -- the better it
is," said Dr. Joe Verghese, an assistant professor of neurology at Albert
Einstein College of Medicine in New York City.
So, the jury is still out! Lastly, overall, research does point to a high
positive correlation between exercise, increased fitness levels and higher
cognitive functioning at all ages than without exercise. This includes exercise
walking. Want more to read more about the research and info to take care of our
aging brains (let's remember it's never too early to start!)? Here's a link to
an article titled "CDC Brain Health Initiative Focuses On Emerging Research
on Cognitive Vitality" ( if I write any more, this will be as long as those
research papers).
Okay here are a few tips for brain fitness. Let's:
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Maintain a
regular exercise program, not just for our body, but for our brain too!
Exercise increases blood flow to our brain increasing oxygen & nutrient
delivery. This is why many of us feel so energized after exercising. I have
even found myself to be my most creative while climbing the Stairmaster
(those endorphins really work). Don't feel like exercising today? Let's do
it for our brain! |
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Feed our
brain with carbohydrates! Our brains use an enormous amount of energy (even
when we're not thinking or awake!). The brain uses the most energy after
body temperature regulation needs are met. And our brain only uses glucose
(sugar) as its food. Yes, other nutrients can be turned into glucose, but
not as efficiently as carbohydrates. Every time we work, exercise, think
etc., without eating for long periods of time, we are starving our brain! Do
we start our day without breakfast? Well, would we go for a drive without
gas? Lastly I am referring to the healthy carbohydrates (fruits, veggies,
and complex carbs such as whole grains). |
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Drink Water.
Let's help those nutrients reach our brain. Ever get what I call foggy
thinking? Let's try drinking more water. |
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Lastly, let's
read, learn something new everyday! Let's keep those new brain connections
growing (and let's investigate a bit more before we believe the last
headline or research study as fact!). |