Question from my mother (who doesn't speek English!): What is the best way to keep our brain from aging?

Question

How to preserve our memory? Exercise the brain? Food containing antioxidant nutrients? Beeing happy? Any other sugestions or practicle examples? Thank you!

Answer 1

Its funny we were just talking about this last night.
We agreed that Reading is a must, also working puzzles, such as crosswords, or numeric. Cranberry Juice is a natural antioxidant that is suggested to older people for several reasons, also green tea. Most importantly don't get lazy, like.. in front of the TV. Its real easy to fall into that after retirement, etc.

Answer 2

I feel eating a good well balanced meal give us all we need as far as Vitamins and Antioxidants.
The Brain is just like our Muscles, use it or lose it. To exercise the Brain help it to think. I like to learn and have stimulated my brain for this. I read everything. Waiting at the doctor I read a magazine as I wait. Bulletin Boards I read to see what there. I love to Browse the Inet and learn. Questions people ask here give me a the opportunity to learn. Heck, one girl ask about Freezing a person once and that got me to find a web-site about cryogenics, which, after giving the link, I went back and read some.
Something your mother may enjoy are "Sudoku" puzzles. It a number game where a grid is divide into 9 squares and each square contain the numbers 1-9 you have to put the numbers in and not have the same number in line vertical and horizontal. Use a Pencil it not as easy as it sound. She may enjoy this, maybe you could buy her a book of Sudoku and let her try.
Here a link that explain;
http://www.sudoku.com/
But, there many things. Crossword Puzzles and Word Finds. Reading books/magazines about Real things and not just fantasy. Heck, for a Brain Break, I enjoy reading simple children's books, take about 10 minutes for me. But, they fun and I learn how they written. May write me one and see if I make some money. ;-)

Answer 3

I agree with all above. Keep the mind active by reading and puzzles. These things can be found in her language. If she is not a good reader, Math puzzles, even simple ones will keep the brain active. Keep a healthy social life with friends and family. excersize and vitamins with antioxidants are also helpful. If you feel she is losing it, the doctor can prescribe a good medication to sharpen memory called Aricept. (donepezil hcl) Another good idea is to have her write or dictate her autobiography. This will be a wonderful treasure to have for her grandchildren. Hope this helps.

Answer 4

keep it busy! Challenge it! Reading is good. I have done a lot of research on alszhimer, and they say just to keep the brain busy to prevent memory loss! I know people who take classes to challenge themselves and what not!

Answer 5

my mom is 69 years old. but she has a very good memory . sshe likes to read, answers crossword puzzle,likes to play bingo..plays gameboy, plays solitare in the computer. i think these are the reasons why she still has good memory

Answer 6

-Intellectual stimulation (e.g., playing chess or doing crosswords)
-Regular physical exercise
-Regular social interaction
-A Mediterranean diet with fruits and vegetables and low in saturated fat supplemented in particular with:
-B vitamins
-Omega-3 fatty acids, especially Docosahexaenoic acid
-Fruit and vegetable juice
-High doses of the antioxidant Vitamin E (in combination with vitamin C) seem to reduce Alzheimer's risk in cross sectional studies but not in a randomized trial and so are not currently a recommended preventive measure because of observed increases in overall mortality
-Cholesterol-lowering drugs (statins) reduce Alzheimer's risk in observational studies but so far not in randomized controlled trials
-Female Hormone replacement therapy is no longer thought to prevent dementia based on data from the Women's Health Initiative
-Long-term usage of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), used to reduce joint inflammation and pain, are associated with a reduced likelihood of developing AD, according to some observational studies. The risks appear to outweigh the drugs' benefit as a method of primary prevention.
-Recent medical research has found that cannabinoids, the psychoactive compounds in marijuana, "succeed in preventing the neurodegenerative process occurring in the disease."

Risk factors:
-Advancing age
-Reduced testosterone levels.
ApoE epsilon 4 genotype (in some populations)
-Head injury
-Poor cardiovascular health (including smoking, diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol)
-Exposure to light metals in particular Aluminum is a proposed but not widely-accepted risk factor. Aluminium, a neurotoxin, is often present in higher quantities in brains of Alzheimers patients, and the relationship between aluminum and Alzheimers is building.

In one set of studies aluminum absorption is 2-3-fold higher in Alzheimer's patients as compared to aged-matched controls and 6-fold higher in Down's syndrome, a condition having the pathologic hallmarks of AD. In addition, it has been shown that a number of organic acids, such as lactic, gluconic, malic, citric and oxalic acids, significantly increase aluminum absorption and deposition in the brain.

Copper is another candidate as Dr. Rosanna Squitti was the first to discover the link between the fraction of copper not bound to serum ceruloplasmin, referred to as non-ceruloplasmin-copper (NCC), and the clinical picture of Alzheimer’s disease.

Answer 7

read.