Alzheimer's disease

Adopting a Mediterranean-style diet may help protect your brain as you age, numerous studies show. [1]
At least 2 studies concluded that people’s risk for dementia declined when they ate the Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurogenerative Delay (MIND) diet. Think of it as sort of a hybrid of the original Mediterranean diet and the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diets, both of which were designed to improve heart health.

A shrub known as Yerba santa, dubbed “holy herb” in Spanish, appears to show promise in treating Alzheimer’s disease, researchers say. It has the potential to reduce brain swelling in people with dementia. [1]

A new study suggests that air pollution may come with more health consequences than previously thought. Specifically, prolonged exposure to dirty air may have a negative impact on cognitive abilities, especially in older men.
The study found that breathing polluted air causes a “steep reduction” in verbal and math test scores.

A new study in Translational Psychiatry suggests that women who are exposed to air heavily polluted by vehicle exhaust and other sources of fine particulate matter have a significantly higher risk of developing dementia.

Rita Hayworth is still one of the most iconic pop culture figures of the 20th century and one of the four or five most iconic ‘Hollywood’ stars of the last century. A few weeks ago marked the thirtieth anniversary of her death in 1987, and I wanted to take a moment to draw attention to […]

When a baby comes into the world, the umbilical cord usually gets thrown away. But now scientists have discovered that they can reverse memory and learning problems in mice by using infusions of a protein found in human umbilical cord blood.

One of the keys to keeping your brain nice and plump and in proper working order is avoiding soda – and not just the sugar-sweetened kind, either. Drinking sodas, whether regular or diet, is bad for brain health, 2 recent studies show. [1]
One study showed that people who drank diet soda every day were three times more likely to have a stroke or develop dementia over 10 years compared with those who didn’t consume any diet soda.

We know (or think we know) that high blood glucose, or hyperglycemia, is linked to diabetes and obesity. But now scientists have also recently discovered a link between excess blood sugar and Alzheimer’s disease.
Researchers have established a “tipping point” link between excess blood glucose and the disease, meaning that people who eat a lot of sugar could be more likely to go on to develop Alzheimer’s. [1]
Omar Kassaar, a biologist at the University of Bath in the U.K., said in a press release:

Whether you’re a celebrity or factory worker, much-loved or infamous, Alzheimer’s disease doesn’t care who you are. Like a mindless monster, it eats everything that makes people who they are. But even though you can’t reason with it, an increasing number of nutritional and herbal medicines are showing potential in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Now, researchers are finding a connection between turmeric and Alzheimer’s prevention, focusing on a increasingly popular herbal solution.

As you grow older, having a positive attitude about aging may make you more resilient to stress, a new study suggests.
One of the study’s coauthors, Jennifer Bellingtier, of North Carolina State University in Raleigh, said:

“Previous research has generally found the same thing, a more positive attitude is beneficial. People with positive attitudes are less likely to be hospitalized and tend to live longer.” [1]