Memory and thinking can be improved with exercise

It is a frightening thought to consider the possibility of losing your memory and ability to think clearly. Medical practitioners have been finding that exercising a minimum of twice a week is preferable to drugs for mild cognitive impairment reports Mayo Clinic. 

Dr. Ronald Petersen, the lead author of this study, has said it has been shown that regular physical exercise has benefits for heart health. Now it is also known that memory in people with mild cognitive impairment can be improved with exercise. Essentially what we are finding is that "What's good for your heart can be good for your brain."

With mild cognitive impairment there may be problems with memory, language, judgment and thinking. Often these changes are so mild they do not interfere significantly with the activities of daily living. However mild cognitive impairment may be associated with an increased risk of a progression to dementia which is due to Alzheimer's disease or other neurological conditions. Yet in many instances people with mild cognitive impairment never get worse and sometimes even get better. 

This study has been published in the journal Neurology. Exercise has been found to often be effective for the prevention and treatment of mild cognitive impairment. This is preferable to drugs and also benefits heart health. Prevention and complete cures of mild cognitive impairment are possible and so regular exercise is a good idea whether or not this condition is present.  
  

There may be health benefits from switching plant proteins for animal proteins

 
St. Michael's Hospital has reported that there may be health benefits from making a daily switch of one or two servings of animal proteins with plant proteins. This could lead to a small decrease in the three primary cholesterol markers for cardiovascular disease prevention.

Dr. Sievenpiper, who lead this research, says the study has indicated that replacing one to two servings of animal proteins with plant proteins daily may lower the primary cholesterol markers by approximately 5 percent. Good plant proteins include chickpeas, beans, soy and nuts. 
  
Past studies have demonstrated the cholesterol-lowering benefits of individual foods or of food groups. However, this study investigated the benefits of making substitutions of any plant proteins for animal proteins. As noted by Dr. Sievenpiper we now have more confidence than ever that plant-based diets from Mediterranean diets and vegetarian diets in the supermarket are heart healthy.

This study has been published in the Journal of the American Heart Association. There has been an increase in interest in plant‐based diets for prevention of cardiovascular disease. Researchers have determined switching plant for animal protein lowers the established lipid targets low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol, non–high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol, and apolipoprotein B. Replacing animal based proteins in your diet with plant based proteins benefits heart health.

 

Vitamin deficiency later in life is prevalent

Good nutrition is essential for overall well being throughout life. In elderly people vitamin deficiencies are seen often reports HelmholtzZentrum munchen: German Research Center for Environmental Health.

About 50 percent of people who are 65 years old and older have suboptimal levels of vitamin D in their blood. And about 25 percent of older adults have suboptimal levels of vitamin B12. Furthermore, in eleven percent of elderly adults iron levels were found to be too low, and about nine percent did not have adequate folate in their blood. 

Professor Annette Peters says that this study has confirmed the vital results of the last German National Nutrition Survey (NVS II) which showed there is generally an insufficient intake of micronutrients from foods. This is a highly significant issue, particularly in view of the growing elderly population. 

Most of the elderly people with suboptimal vitamin levels were very old, not physically active or frail. These groups have an increased risk for deficiencies of micronutrients. Older people should take vitamin-containing supplements and maintain a healthy and nutritious diet.

This study has been published in the journal Nutrients. It is of interest that regular and appropriately dosed micronutrient supplementation may help elderly adults, who otherwise are not able to follow dietary guidelines, to satisfy their requirements, and to prevent chronic diseases associated with malnutrition.

Your memory may improve with reading aloud

There is often a feeling that someone who is reading aloud to themselves may somehow be unstable. This is not at all necessarily true and in fact to the contrary reading aloud to oneself may be a good way to improve one's memory. 

The University of Waterloo reports that research has found that memory is improved with reading information aloud. Words are better stored in long-term memory when you speak text aloud. The most beneficial effect on memory has been observed to be from the dual action of speaking and also hearing oneself.

Colin M. MacLeod, who is a professor and chair of the Department of Psychology at Waterloo, says it has been confirmed by this study that both learning and memory gain the most benefit from active involvement. Memory is enhanced when an active component or a production element is added to it. 

It has been suggested that a part of the memory benefit of speech comes from taking the time to be personal and self-referential. There is also a production effect of various activities, such as writing and typing words, which helps to enhance overall retention of memory. Exercise and movement, such as seen when doing puzzles and crosswords, also seems to help strengthen memory.

This study has been published in the journal Memory.  A memory benefit has been observed from hearing onself. Better memory benefits have been observed from reading aloud oneself than from simply hearing another person read aloud. So don't be concerned if someone else thinks it's strange if they hear you reading something aloud to yourself because this after all may be helping you remember things better.