Dementia & Alzheimer’s

Reduce Senior Moments
Have you ever forgotten a place name or even your PIN number? Walked upstairs for something, but then forgot what you went for? We call these temporary memory lapses ‘senior moments’, and they do become more common with age. But what’s happening? Should you be worried? Can you reverse the process? Researchers at Columbia University in New York have some positive news. This type of memory problem is reversible in mice and probably reversible in humans. It is mostly caused by a reduction in the level of a protein in the... Read more...
Alzheimer’s Link to Animal Fat in the Diet
I must confess to a sneaky liking for the occasional pork pie. Now it will have to be VERY occasional! Researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, reporting in Annals of Neurology, identified the ratio of unsaturated fats to saturated fats as a key factor in Alzheimer’s. Women in their 6,000-person study who ate the most saturated fats from foods like red meat, French fries, cream and butter performed worst on thinking and memory tests. Indeed, women with the highest saturated fat intake had a 60 to 70% greater risk of... Read more...
Brain Health – Use It or Lose It
Keep your brain sharp and stay free of dementia Brain health experts agree that staying mentally sharp and reducing the risk of cognitive decline as we age is achievable through proven lifestyle habits. While the Alzheimer’s Association notes that challenging your mind with puzzles and brain teasers is a valuable tool, it is just one piece of a much larger strategy for long-term cognitive health. Challenge your brain to think in new ways Your brain evolved to be challenged. It needed to interpret the dangers and opportunities in your environment... Read more...
Grapeseed Protects the Brain
Medical News Today mostly tracks developments in conventional medicines, but a recent article highlighted multiple impressive therapeutic benefits of grapeseed extract as a supplement. It’s difficult to get enough grapeseed extract proanthocyanidins from eating raw grapes or drinking grape juice or wine. Grapeseed benefits include: Preventing cognitive decline Because grapeseed extract is very high in the polyphenol group called proanthocyanidins, which are neuroprotective in the hippocampus, it may prevent cognitive loss with ageing. A paper in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease published by researchers at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City... Read more...
Reaction Time is an Indicator of Brain Health
Your diet is a major factor in how fast and well your brain – and reflexes – work. And research tells us which foods and nutrients keep your brain working at peak efficiency. The reaction time test at the end of this short article estimates your age, based on how fast you reacted in a driving situation. Want to improve your performance? Foods and nutrients proven to maintain a healthy brain Omega 3 – found in oily fish like salmon and sardines and in fish oil supplements. The nerve cells in your... Read more...
Fish for the Brain
Back in 1997, an epidemiological study found that increased fish consumption was linked to a lower risk of Alzheimer’s Disease (1). Then, in 2005, a pre-clinical study showed that a diet rich in the polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acids slowed the progression of Alzheimer’s type brain pathology in an aged mouse model (2). Three years later, a relatively small clinical trial found that small doses of omega-3’s led to some improvements in patients with mild cognitive impairment, although not with Alzheimer’s Disease (3). All this boosted sales of fish oil supplements... Read more...
Top 10 Tips for Brain Health
There is, as of now, no cure for dementia, so prevention strategies are essential. A reading of 30 recent studies suggests the following top 10 preventative measures. The good news is that you can retain your memory and remain mentally sharp with this 10-point plan. None of them involves pharmaceuticals. (Of course, advice is only effective when it degenerates into action!)  1. Cut pro-inflammatory sugar and sweeteners Dementia is very closely linked to inflammation in brain tissues, so decreasing pro-inflammatory foods and increasing anti-inflammatory foods in your diet is a key... Read more...
Vitamin D Brain Effects
Dr. Paul Clayton’s Health Newsletter Spring 2015 Research by the legendary Bruce Ames has thrown up new links between maternal vitamin D, or the lack of it, and autism (Patrick & Ames,’15). Their work indicates that adequate levels of vitamin D may be required to produce neurotransmitters dopamine, oxytocin, vasopressin and especially serotonin in the brain, where they shape the structure and wiring of the central nervous system and affect social behaviour. This could explain why autism, which has been previously linked to low levels of serotonin in the brain and to... Read more...
Brain Health Nutrients Including PQQ and Polyphenols
Dr Paul Clayton’s Health Newsletter, October 2014 The latest nutrient craze is a supposedly new vitamin called pyrroloquinoline quinone. As the name of this compound doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue, we are fortunate indeed that it is routinely abbreviated to PQQ. PQQ is being boosted on a number of websites, where companies are selling it (under related names such as BioPQQ) as not only a new B vitamin but also the key to brain health. It is claimed to be an antioxidant (whatever that is), a booster of nerve... Read more...
Omega-3 in Alzheimer's Disease
Back in 1997, an epidemiological study found that increased fish consumption was linked to a lower risk of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) (Grant ’97). Then, in 2005, a pre-clinical study showed that a diet rich in the polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acids slowed the progression of Alzheimer’s type brain pathology in an aged mouse model (Lim et al ’05). Three years later, a relatively small prospective clinical trial found that small doses of omega-3s led to some improvements in patients with mild cognitive impairment, although not with Alzheimer’s Disease (Chiu et al... Read more...
Vitamin E and Alzheimer’s
The December issue (18/12/01) of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences contains a report of Japanese research into the protective role of Vitamin E in Alzheimer’s. The scientists used GM mice that lack a gene essential for Vitamin E metabolism in the body. The mice had symptoms associated with neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer’s Disease, including poor coordination and tremors. Treatment with supplements to increase their brain Vitamin E levels almost eradicated the symptoms. The UK Alzheimer’s Society is cautious about claims that Vitamin E might be equally protective... Read more...
Brain Health – Curry Recommended
In India, the home of curry, there are very few cases of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) – a fact that has long puzzled researchers. Regular readers will know that the flavonoids in green tea probably protect against Alzheimer’s – and new research has found that flavonoids in the curry spice turmeric (known as curcuminoids) play an equally important, complementary role. Using mouse models of AD, a research team from the University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA) reported that curcumin was capable of binding to proteins in the brain known as... Read more...