Preserving Brain Health Through a Heart-Healthy Diet
We have all forgotten why we walked into a room or had trouble recalling a common word, and the frequency of these lapses almost...
Swaps for Heart and Brain Health
Simple swaps—like choosing foods with unsaturated fats to replace those with saturated, unprocessed or reduced sodium foods over typical high-sodium processed products, fruits instead...
Beating Depression: Dietary Supplements Offer Little Value
Evidence on the effectiveness of specific supplements for the treatment of depression is mixed, according to Robin Kanarek, PhD, John Wade Professor, Emerita, at...
Lower Alzheimer’s Risk May Be Possible with Healthy Lifestyle
A study published in June in the journal Neurology found healthy lifestyle choices were associated with lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. This analysis...
Behavioral and Psychological Strategies Help Maintain Weight Loss
A study published recently in the journal Obesity identified specific behavioral and psychological strategies that may help people who have lost weight keep it...
Diets High in Saturated Fat and Sugars May Impact Brain Function
Diets high in saturated fat and added sugars—such as those common in Western countries like the U.S.—may impair memory and lower ability to control...
Daily Aspirin Does Not Lower Alzheimer’s Risk
The results of a controlled trial, published recently in the journal Neurology, indicate that taking daily low-dose aspirin is not effective in lowering the...
Association Found Between Waist Circumference and Dementia
A large Korean population study recently published in the journal Obesity found that abdominal obesity, as measured by waist circumference, was associated with significantly higher risk of dementia. The study included over 872,000 participants aged 65 years and older.
Homocysteine: The Facts
Doctors routinely measure blood levels of cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood sugar, because high levels are strongly associated with higher risk of cardiovascular disease, and bringing these levels down through diet, exercise, and appropriate medication may lower risk. Some researchers suggest that another measure, homocysteine (ho-mo-SIS-teen) levels, should be added to that list. Multiple studies have found an association between high blood levels of homocysteine and higher cardiovascular disease risk (especially heart attack) as well as higher risk of certain causes of cognitive decline, says Irwin H. Rosenberg, MD, a professor at Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy and senior scientist at the Neuroscience and Aging Laboratory.
Lutein for the Eyes (and the Brain)
Lutein is just one of the more than 600 phytochemicals in the carotenoid family. These compounds are pigments that give plants their orange, yellow, and red hues, but they are more than just good looking: carotenoids, including lutein, have antioxidant and other health-promoting properties. What makes lutein unique among the carotenoids is that it is selectively taken up into the eye and the brain, says Elizabeth Johnson, a former scientist with the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging.