Dr. John's Health Matters
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The articles posted here are from various sources who are duly acknowledged. I would appreciate being immediately notified, if any copywritten material needs to be removed. This blog is not intended to replace the qualified advice of a licensed health practitioner. Readers should exercise their own judgment. Enjoy, subscribe, participate and tell others :)
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Posts tagged "memory"
Wednesday, Sep 2nd, 2009 ↓High-Carb, High-Fat Diets Better for Cognitive Performance →
September 1, 2009 (Medscape.com) — Diets high in carbohydrates or fat can lead to significantly better cognitive-performance and inflight-testing scores in pilots than diets high in protein, according to results reported in a poster presentation at the Military Health Research Forum (MHRF) 2009 in Kansas City, Missouri.
In addition, a high-carbohydrate diet helped study pilots sleep better, and a high-fat diet appeared to lead to significantly faster short-term memory.
“We started out thinking that the high-protein diet would lead to being the sharpest afterward,” said colead investigator Glenda Lindseth, RN, PhD, licensed registered dietician and professor of nursing at the University of North Dakota (UND) in Grand Forks. “But we were surprised by our findings that it was actually the high-carb or high-fat diets that were the best. Eating a diet that’s high in protein just isn’t going to help you perform optimally.”
“As a retired air-force pilot and a pilot for over 30 years, I believe this type of study is definitely needed,” said the other colead author, Paul Lindseth, PhD, professor of aviation and associate dean at the UND Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences. “This is important for pilots in the military and in combat situations, where they need to be sharp and alert.”
For full medical article, see link above.
Tags: high carb carbohydrate fat protein macronutrient diet nutrition cognitive performance testing score sleep short term memory performance alertness
Study reveals shocking effects of obesity on brain →
Aug 27, 2009 (Presstv.com)—Compared to their normal-weight peers, obese individuals have smaller and older brains, indicative of destructive processes that can lead to dementia.
Previous studies had reported obesity to be associated with various health problems including an increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and certain cancers.
According to a study published in Human Brain Mapping, obese individuals have 8 percent less brain tissue than their lean counterparts. The amount, however, is reduced to 4 percent in those classified as overweight.
The brain of obese individuals is also reported to be 16 years older than that of normal-weight individuals.
The main tissue loss is reported to occur in the frontal and temporal lobes (areas in the brain responsible for planning and memory), in the anterior cingulate gyrus (attention and executive functions), hippocampus (long-term memory) and basal ganglia (movement) of the brains of the obese individuals.
Overweight individuals, however, showed brain loss in the basal ganglia, the corona radiate (white matter comprised of axons) and the parietal lobe (sensory lobe).
“That’s a big loss of tissue and it depletes your cognitive reserves, putting you at much greater risk of Alzheimer’s and other diseases that attack the brain,” said lead researcher Paul Thompson.
Scientists concluded that adopting a balanced diet, exercising and keeping ones weight under control are the best ways to reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
PKH/AA
Tags: dementia brain tissue memory alzheimer's disease cognition weight obesity planning memory attention movement risk
High Blood Pressure Linked To Memory Problems In Middle Age →
Aug 26, 2009 (Sciencedaily.com)—High blood pressure is linked to memory problems in people over 45, according to research published in the August 25, 2009, print issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
The study found that people with high diastolic blood pressure, which is the bottom number of a blood pressure reading, were more likely to have cognitive impairment, or problems with their memory and thinking skills, than people with normal diastolic readings.
For every 10 point increase in the reading, the odds of a person having cognitive problems was seven percent higher. The results were valid after adjusting for other factors that could affect cognitive abilities, such as age, smoking status, exercise level, education, diabetes or high cholesterol.
The study involved nearly 20,000 people age 45 and older across the country who participated in the Reasons for Geographic And Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) Study and had never had a stroke or mini-stroke. A total of 1,505 of the participants, or 7.6 percent, had cognitive problems, and 9,844, or 49.6 percent, were taking medication for high blood pressure.
High blood pressure is defined as a reading equal to or higher than 140/90 or taking medication for high blood pressure.
“It’s possible that by preventing or treating high blood pressure, we could potentially prevent cognitive impairment, which can be a precursor to dementia,” said study author Georgios Tsivgoulis, MD, of the University of Alabama at Birmingham and a member of the American Academy of Neurology.
Research has shown that high diastolic blood pressure leads to weakening of small arteries in the brain, which can result in the development of small areas of brain damage.
For full article, see link above.
Tags: memory high blood pressure cognitive impairment artery brain dementia damage stroke
Tags: nap sleep memory stress longevity behaviour efficiency nerve survival energy metabolic rate protection
6 Hours of Sleep is Not Enough →
Aug 18, 2009 (Mercola.com)—You may have heard recent news reports saying that researchers have identified a family with a genetic mutation that causes members to require only six hours sleep a night. However, that gene is vanishingly rare in humans, found in less than 3 percent of people. So, almost all people who says they needs only six hours’ sleep are deluding themselves. And the consequences of chronic sleep deprivation are serious — sleep deprivation has been linked to an increase in motor vehicle accidents, deficiencies in short-term memory, focus and attention. It’s also tied to depressed mood and a decrease in the ability to control appetite. The only real answer is to sleep as much as your body actually needs. Sources: USA Today August 13, 2009
Tags: sleep six 6 hours deprivation accident memory short-term focus attention depression appetite
Binge Drinking Affects Attention And Working Memory In Young University Students →
Aug 14, 2009 (Sciencedaily.com)—Binge drinkers are defined as males who drink five or more standard alcohol drinks, and females who drink four or more, on one occasion and within a two-hour interval. A recent study of binge drinking’s impact on attention and visual working memory processes in young Spanish university students has found that binge drinkers expend more attentional effort to complete a given task, and also have a deficiency in differentiating between relevant and irrelevant information.
Results will be published in the November issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research and are currently available at Early View.
1.”Currently, about 40 percent of university students in the U.S. are considered binge drinkers, while 12.2 percent of Spanish university students may be,” explained Alberto Crego, a doctoral student at the University of Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain and corresponding author for the study. “One of the reasons for this is because in Anglo-Saxon countries there is a longer tradition of drinking linked to weekend diversions and characterized by sporadic consumption of large quantities of alcohol in short periods. While in Mediterranean countries such as Spain, alcohol consumption is traditionally more regular and linked to gastronomy.”
However, the traditional pattern of drinking that is characterized by low intake of wine and beer may be changing, noted Francisco Caamaño-Isorna, a professor in the department of public health at the University of Santiago de Compostela. “Recent reports from the Spanish Drug Observatory suggest that the prevalence of binge drinking is increasing.”
“One of the most relevant and worrying aspects of the high prevalence of intense consumption of alcohol in young people is the effect this drinking pattern probably has on the structure and function of the still developing brain, and that these consequences may persist in the long term,” said Crego. “Some neuromaturation processes continue until approximately 25 years of age; this means that late developing regions are probably even more vulnerable targets.”
For full article see link above.
Tags: drinking alcohol university memory attention binge drinker deficiency relevant information alcoholism consumption brain
Formal Education Lessens Impact Of Alzheimer’s Disease -- Even If Brain Volume Is Already Reduced →
Aug 12, 2009 (Sciencedaily.com)—Researchers at the Department of Psychiatry, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, investigated the effects of formal education on the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. They were able to show that education diminishes the impact of Alzheimer’s disease on cognition even if a manifest brain volume loss has already occurred.
The results are published in the current issue of the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.
Dr. Robert Perneczky, Department of Psychiatry at Klinikum rechts der Isar explains: “We know that there is not always a close association between brain damage due to Alzheimer’s disease and the resulting symptoms of dementia. In fact, there are individuals with severe brain pathology with almost no signs of dementia, whereas others with only minor brain lesions exhibit a considerable degree of clinical symptoms.”
These phenomena are often ascribed to the theoretical concept of cognitive reserve. A high level of cognitive reserve results in a strong individual resilience against symptoms of brain damage; cognitive reserve can therefore be seen as protective against brain damage.
For full article see link above.
Tags: alzheimer's disease brain loss memory education risk damage dementia cognitive reserve schooling
Woman Hypnotized to Believe She Had Gastric Band Surgery Loses 55 Pounds →
Aug 7, 2009 (NaturalNews.com)— A woman lost 55 pounds after undergoing hypnosis to implant memories of a gastric band surgery in her head.
“I’ve tried every other diet and exercise plan the world has to offer,” said the woman, Marion Corns. “Now I am able to shed up to three pounds a week because I believe I’ve had a band fitted into my stomach. Bizarrely, I can remember every part of the ‘procedure’ - including being wheeled into theatre, the clink of the surgeon’s knife and even the smell of the anesthetic.”
Corns underwent the hypnotherapy at the Elite Clinic in Spain, which was recommended to her by a friend who had gone there to quit smoking. The therapy involved a number of sessions in which she was familiarized with the procedure of a gastric band surgery, including a real surgical gastric band and stomach model. She then underwent several sessions of hypnosis, in which every stage of the surgery was narrated to her. She was made to touch the gastric band, while a recording of surgical tools played in the background. The hypnotherapists also pumped smells into the room to simulate those found in the operating and recovery rooms of a hospital.
After her first hypnosis session, Corns began to lose weight, just as if she had undergone the real surgery.
“Now if I try and eat a large portion I feel a pulling sensation in my tummy as if my stomach is stretching,” she said. “I simply cannot eat large portions of food any more.”
For full article see link above.
Is There Long-term Brain Damage After Bypass Surgery? More Evidence Puts The Blame On Heart Disease →
Aug 6, 2009 (Sciencedaily.com)—Brain scientists and cardiac surgeons at Johns Hopkins have evidence from 227 heart bypass surgery patients that long-term memory losses and cognitive problems they experience are due to the underlying coronary artery disease itself and not ill after-effects from having used a heart-lung machine.
Researchers say their latest findings explain study results presented last year, which showed that the heart-lung machines – used to pump blood and supply the body with oxygen while the heart is stopped during surgery – did not cause postoperative long-term brain deficits.
“Our results hammer home the message that heart-lung machines are not to be blamed for cognitive declines observed years later in people who have had bypass surgery,” says lead study investigator Ola A. Selnes, Ph.D., a professor in the Division of Cognitive Neuroscience in the neurology department at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
The new results stand in contrast to the impact of heart-lung machines on so-called “pumphead” syndrome, the temporary memory loss, vision and slurred speech observed right after surgery in many heart bypass patients.
For full article see link above.
Tags: heart disease cardiovascular coronary artery heart-lung machine blood oxygen brain cognitive decline bypass surgery memory vision speech
Tags: stevia supplement cognitive brain function learning memory alertness psychosocial pressure steviol nmda receptor synaptic transmission chemical signalling
Dementia risk higher in middle-aged smokers →
Aug 4, 2009 (Presstv.com)—Middle-aged individuals, who smoke and have high blood pressure or diabetes, are placed at a considerable increased risk of developing dementia.
According to a study published in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, smoking, diabetes and hypertension are major risk factors contributing to dementia in the long run.
Smokers under the age of 55 are five times more likely to develop dementia. As for diabetics, however, the risk is tripled.
Smoking, high blood pressure and diabetes can damage the brain and its nourishing small blood vessels, leading to dementia.
Scientists therefore pointed out the importance of early lifestyle changes and risk factor treatment to prevent dementia.
For full article see link above.
Tags: memory brain risk smoker smoking cigarette dementia hypertension diabetes cardiovascular
'Brain Exercises' May Delay Memory Decline In Dementia →
Aug 4, 2009 (Sciencedaily.com)—People who engage in activities that exercise the brain, such as reading, writing, and playing card games, may delay the rapid memory decline that occurs if they later develop dementia, according to a study published in the August 4, 2009, print issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
The study involved 488 people age 75 to 85 who did not have dementia at the start of the study. They were followed for an average of five years; during that time 101 of the people developed dementia.
At the beginning of the study, people reported how often they participated in six leisure activities that engage the brain: reading, writing, doing crossword puzzles, playing board or card games, having group discussions, and playing music. For each activity, daily participation was rated at seven points, several days a week was rated at four points, and weekly participation was rated at one point.
The average was seven points total for those who later developed dementia, meaning they took part in one of the six activities each day, on average. Ten people reported no activities, and 11 reported only one activity per week.
For full article see link above.
Tags: brain prevention memory exercise read write cards decline dementia leisure puzzle music
A Silly Pat On The Head Helps Seniors Remember Daily Medication →
July 30, 2009 (Sciencedaily.com)—Doing something unusual, like knocking on wood or patting yourself on the head, while taking a daily dose of medicine may be an effective strategy to help seniors remember whether they’ve already taken their daily medications, suggests new research from Washington University in St. Louis.
We’ve all heard warnings that some medications may be habit-forming, but research also shows that “getting into the habit” of taking a daily medicine in a routine and precise fashion can be a befuddling challenge for some older adults, many of whom tend to err on the side of over-medication, taking a dangerous second dose when in doubt about the first.
“In extended medication-taking situations, the habitual nature of the task may make it difficult for older adults to remember whether or not they took the medication on a particular day, especially if pill boxes are not used,” explains Mark McDaniel, Ph.D., lead author of the study and a professor of psychology in Arts & Sciences at Washington University.
“To remedy this potential problem, older adults could be instructed to take their medication while placing one hand on their head or in some other unusual or silly way, like crossing their arms,” he suggests. “Our results indicate that older adults can use these sorts of more complex motor tasks to effectively reduce repetition errors in habitual prospective memory tasks, such as taking a daily medication.”
For full article see link above.
Coffee helps brain, liver to function better →
July 27, 2009 (Presstv.com)—The latest studies by German researchers have shown positive effects of coffee on human health, saying it improves functions of liver and brain.
The studies run by Germany’s Green Cross points out that coffee accelerates digestion, and prevents age-related diabetes, chronic liver disease and replacement of liver tissue by fibrous scar tissue.
Drinking at least four cups of coffee a day is also reported to reduce the risk of liver cirrhosis by up to 80 percent.
The report says coffee can help reverse some elements of memory impairment commonly seen in Alzheimer sufferers and improves concentration.
Health promoting ingredients of coffee like chlorogenic acid also play important roles too. Chlorogenic acid is one of the antioxidants found in coffee that can cut nearly in half the risk of Alzheimer’s Disease.
For full article see link above.
Tags: liver function coffee digestion diabetes disease cirrhosis memory concentration ingredient antioxidant alzheimers prevention
