Connection between yoga and memory

Over the past 15 years, UCLA Health researchers have been exploring an interesting way to reduce your risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. They’ve been looking at the beneficial effect of yoga, compared to standard memory-enhancement training. Their recent study, published in Translational Psychiatry recruited 60 women ages 50 and older who had been through menopause and reported memory issues and cerebrovascular risk factors. They wanted to see if 12 weeks of Kundalini yoga sessions (it focuses on meditation and breathing) could improve cognition and memory better than 12 weekly memory-enhancement training sessions, which use exercises such as creating stories to remember items on a list.

The researchers took blood samples to evaluate inflammation and look at gene expression of markers related to aging, and they did MRIs at 12 and 24 weeks. They found that the Kundalini yoga participants had measurable improvements in memory, less decline in brain matter, increased neural connectivity in the hippocampus (where stress-related memories are managed), an increase in antiinflammatory and anti-aging molecules and fewer aging and inflammation-associated biomarkers. Ommm-my!

The very best brain protection, say the researchers, is combining this breathing- and meditation-centered yoga with memory-enhancing training. We say, especially if you do speed-of-processing games like Double Decision. Studies show that doing them over a 10-year period reduces cognitive deficits in folks ages 73 to 83 by more than 33%. Also smart: an anti-inflammatory, plant-based diet. And check out the iHerb.com blog, “The Best Supplements to Support Memory and Brain Health as You Age.”

Dr. Mike Roizen is the founder of www.longevityplaybook. com, and Dr. Mehmet Oz is global advisor to www.iHerb. com, the world’s leading online health store. Roizen and Oz are chief wellness officer emeritus at Cleveland Clinic and professor emeritus at Columbia University, respectively.