LOVE YOUR BRAIN

Food, tricks and tips to help

Your mind is the supercomputer that generates all your thoughts, memories, dreams, emotions and ideas. It’s a smorgasbord of life events, so it’s little wonder that getting dementia, which could slowly rob you of your past, your future, your present, your self, is the mother of all health fears.

According to the Alzheimer’s Society, there are 850,000 people with dementia in the UK (that’s one in six over the age of 80), with numbers due to rise to over one million by 2025 and two million by 2051, thanks to our ageing population. What’s more, dementia seems to target women – two-thirds of those who have it are female.

But there’s happier and more positive news, too – even reasons to feel optimistic. Although it’s not fully understood what causes dementia and there is no cure, there is mounting evidence that we’re not as powerless as we think when it comes to prevention.

What we all need to be aware of is that Alzheimer’s – the most common form of dementia that affects 62% of those diagnosed – can begin silently in the brain up to three decades before any symptoms start. This slow build means that our everyday choices in mid life could make a difference, potentially slowing or pausing dementia. ‘The biggest risk factor for dementia is age,’ says Dr Emer Macsweeney of Re:cognition Health, which offers clinical trials on dementia. ‘But there’s growing evidence to suggest the choices you make in your 40s and beyond, from the amount of exercise you do to how heart-healthy your lifestyle is, can affect brain health and ageing, and even potentially delay or hold back dementia.’

Take our dietary choices, for example. At the 2017 Alzheimer’s Association’s International Conference in July, four large population-based observational studies were presented, which suggested a Mediterraneanstyle diet (think: lots of fish, vegetables, pulses and olive oil) could potentially lower our risk of memory problems by 35%, and might reduce our overall risk of dementia.

Meanwhile, two new books by American doctors are causing much discussion. The Alzheimer’s Solution claims that a combination of what we eat, how much we exercise, how we challenge our cognitive abilities, and the ways in which we tackle stress and sleep problems could significantly prevent and reverse memory loss.

Meanwhile, a plan presented in Dale E Bredesen’s book, The End Of Alzheimer’s – which needs to be followed with the help of a healthcare professional – claims that 36 metabolic factors, including micronutrients, hormone levels and sleep, can trigger downsizing in the brain and that lifestyle and dietary changes are the secret of getting your brain back on track.

Sadly, however, there can be no guarantees but, by taking heed of our expert advice and the latest research, you’ll be taking positive steps to help keep your brain healthier and sharper for longer.

Now, that’s smart…