Sexy way to ward off Alzheimer’s ravages

THERE’S an old joke about men’s sexual activity: Triweekly, try weekly, try weakly, try oysters … try remembering.

Now a research paper suggests an ironic reversal of cause and effect. It has long been proclaimed that the brain was the most important sex organ and a recent Coventry and Oxford study suggested a continued active sex- life may prevent Alzheimer’s.

The tests revealed improved cognitive functions in verbal fluency and spatial perceptions ( men scored higher than women). For Alzheimer’s Australia sex in aged care facilities is no longer a taboo subject and the Mayo Clinic website has Senior Sex Tips.

Every other week there is a new hypothesis for Alzheimer’s prevention. There are blood tests and smell tests. Not to mention the many remedies on YouTube and their testimonials.

What is required is a change of lifestyle, regular exercise and a Mediterranean diet, all the superfoods: cold water fish, blueberries, leafy green and cruciferous vegetables, beetroot, coconut oil, turmeric and coffee.

There are also drugs which were trialled for other conditions like high blood pressure ( beta blockers), diabetes ( insulin) and cancer ( saracatinib).

At the moment there are many mice which have had their memory restored. Our cousins the chimpanzees, however, have all the pathological hallmarks of Alzheimer’s but it is never terminal in the aged.

Decades ago I saw an Australian play about sex in a nursing home. The randy geriatric hooking up with the female occupants was plied with medication to lower his libido.

There are, evidently, any number of pharmaceutical drugs for dealing with hypersexual dementia – antidepressants, antipsychotics, anticonvulsants.

So that I don’t become “the man who mistook his wife for a hat”, I’m just going to continue writing letters to the editor. WILLIAM ROSS,

Cranbrook

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: A healthy diet including cold water fish and leafy green and cruciferous vegetables is advisable to avoid Alzheimer’s.