Thursday, May 01, 2003

brain maintenance for dummies

This post is dedicated to Brad DeLong, but is applicable to all.

keep in mind, if you still have it, that correlation is not necessarily causation...

misc helpful hints, primarily nontoxic -
  • Eat blueberries: "Tufts/USDA scientists say rats that consumed an extract of blueberries, strawberries and spinach every day showed improvements in short-term memory. Only the blueberry extract improved balance and coordination, however."
  • Eat turmeric, which does all sorts of good things including keep India from getting Alzheimer's.
  • Take ibuprofen (this could also be good for preventing/delaying parkinson's and general aging ("antiinflammatory hormone high in centenarians"))
  • If you have insulin resistance, get it treated (eg with Metformin) - it has been linked to memory loss - "diabetics who get their condition under control often also see an improvement in their memory, Convit noted, a sign that reduced memory is also reversible in pre-diabetics."
  • avoid head injuries. this is generally good advice in any case.
  • avoid drinking water that's high in aluminum, as it's been linked with Alzheimer's disease
  • Keep your cholesterol low? ("Cholesterol-lowering medications known as statins also play an important role in reducing levels of a strong predictor of Alzheimer's disease")
  • sometime in the not too distant future, you'll be able to get vaccinated ("Toxic molecule may provide key for developing vaccine against degenerative diseases - Researchers find important similarity among Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Huntington's and other degenerative diseases...")


later additions:
  • GABA-increasing drugs now touted for old-age-memory-improvement, although this does seem very counterintuitive.
  • if you have self control, keep in mind that intermittent fasting is neuroprotective
  • B vitamins lower homocysteine levels, which have been linked with Alzheimer's
  • Avoid depression, for same reason

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