Memory and Forgetting - How to Not Lose Your Mind

If you are approaching middle age and you have had the experience of not being able to place a person's name with a face or if you forgot a telephone number for the second or third time, don't worry. This does not mean that you are losing your mind or that you are in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease. A certain amount of forgetting is normal as you get older.

Memory is complicated and requires the activation of circuits in the brain, primarily between a structure called the hippocampus and an area of the brain called the prefrontal cortex. Researchers have studied the way memory works and have made some fascinating observations that are incredible value. Large and well designed studies have shown that exercise improves memory.

That is correct.

If you exercise you will not only improve your body, but you will also improve your memory. Exercise help memory by increasing cerebral blood volume, by stimulating the production of a protein that stimulates the birth of new brain cells and facilitating the process by which the brain changes in response to learning.

It has also been demonstrated that what you eat can improve your memory. Foods such as blueberries, walnut and other sources of antioxidants and omega e fatty acids will strengthen you mind.

What could be easier? Instead of worrying about what you have forgotten, move your body more, get your heart rate up and pay attention to what you eat. Don't allow inactivity and poor eating habits to cause you to "lose your mind."

Take Good Care of Yourself and Live Longer

Most of us know someone who has lived to a ripe old age in spite of the fact that they are smokers or abuse their body with alcohol or junk foods. How do you explain their longevity? Have they managed to live to an advanced age in spite of their excesses?

The answer is yes and we finally have a statistically valid study that proves the point. An 11-year study of 20,000 people in Norfolk, England showed that those who did not smoke, were physically active, drank alcohol in moderation and ate at least five servings of fruits or vegetables a day lived 14 years longer than those who did not observe these guidelines.

Those who did none of these things were four times more likely to die by the end of the study. Each factor was beneficial, but the greatest benefit was seen in those who observed all four guidelines. The results held regardless of social class or body weight at the inception of the study.

Think about that one for a while. 14 years!

Gingko or not to Gingko

Gingko biloba is widely advertised as a memory enhancer. It is the main or at times the only ingredient in pills and other nostrums claimed to be a memory enhancer. Is there any evidence at all that ginko enhances memory?

No! Several excellent controlled studies found that gingko had absolutely no effect on memory, learning, attention, concentration or verbal fluency in older people.

The take home message is save your money and be wary about claims made by supplements that are not backed up with controlled studies that document the efficacy of the substance.