Brain Health

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Losing your memory to age can be terrifying. All of a sudden, the world seems confusing and simple tasks become a burden. But while aging happens to everyone, it is possible to keep your mind sharp for longer.

Certain foods can enhance your brain health, improve memory, and reduce the risk of cognitive decline. Here we share the 5 best foods to boost your brain function and keep your mind sharp.

1. Fatty Fish

Salmon, trout, and sardines are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, essential nutrients for brain health. Omega-3s help build membranes around brain cells, and improve the structure of neurons. Regular consumption of these fatty acids is linked to enhanced cognitive function and a lower risk of mental decline.

2. Pumpkin Seeds

Pumpkin seeds pack a punch when it comes to brain health. They’re rich in brain boosters like iron, copper, magnesium, zinc, and manganese. Each of these plays a role in neural health, supporting everything from nerve signaling to reducing risk of neurological diseases.

3. Dark Chocolate

Dark chocolate and cocoa powder are full of brain-boosting compounds, including flavonoids, caffeine, and antioxidants. Flavonoids support parts of the brain that deal with learning and memory. Research suggests that these compounds may enhance memory and also help slow down age-related mental decline.

4. Turmeric

This bright yellow spice is well known for its anti-inflammatory benefits. Curcumin, the active ingredient in turmeric, can cross the blood-brain barrier and help detoxify amyloid plaques, which are a hallmark of mental decline. Turmeric also supports serotonin and dopamine, which help improve mood.

5. Broccoli

Broccoli is loaded with powerful plant compounds, including antioxidants. It is also very high in vitamin K, which is essential for forming sphingolipids, a type of fat found in brain cells. Studies have linked higher vitamin K intake to better memory and cognitive health.

These 5 foods are a great way to help support your cognitive health.

Status of Brain 

Fuels 7 key indicators for everyday brain health*

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at any age. Learning
Learning new information creates new connections (synapses) between brain cells, which keeps thinking and memory sharp. Unfortunately, we lose these connections as we age; the more you lose, the more cognition declines. Thankfully, we can increase the number of synapses we have.
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Memory
Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is the stage
between the expected decline in memory and thinking that happens with age and the more serious decline of dementia. These brain changes can affect your ability to encode new information into your memory and retrieve information that’s already in storage.

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Focus
Research shows that acetylcholine may play a significant role in your ability to focus, especially when other sensory stimuli are also pulling your attention. The neurochemistry of focus and concentration involves a complex system of moving parts and biochemicals. These include the alerting network (brainstem), the orienting network (sensory), and the executive network ( midline cortex and anterior cingulate cortex).

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Reasoning
What is the brain’s function? Your brain receives information from your five senses: sight, smell, sound, touch and taste. Your brain also receives inputs including touch, vibration, pain and temperature from the rest of your body as well as autonomic (involuntary) inputs from your organs.
When a person’s conscience is telling them to do — or not do — something, they experience it through emotions. Sometimes those emotions are positive. Empathy, gratitude, fairness, compassion and pride are all examples of emotions that encourage us to do things for other people. Other times, we need to not do something. The emotions that stop us include guilt, shame, embarrassment and a fear of being judged poorly by others. Scientists are trying to understand where [area of the brain] conscience comes from.
Whenever you assemble information to make a decision or solve a problem, you’re using deductive reasoning. It’s an important cognitive function that your brain manages.

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Accuracy

Research shows that different sections of your left frontal lobe support deductive reasoning at separate times. Deductive reasoning happens in stages, with specific sections of your frontal lobe becoming active depending on the specific deductive reasoning task.

Our memories fail in part due to inadequate encoding and storage, and in part due to the inability to accurately retrieve stored information.

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Concentration
The neurochemistry of focus and concentration involves a complex system of moving parts and biochemicals. These include the alerting network (brainstem), the orienting network (sensory), and the executive network ( midline cortex and anterior cingulate cortex).
Depression or sleep disorders (such as sleep apnea) can undermine your ability to concentrate. So can the effects of vision or hearing loss. You waste precious cognitive resources when you spend too much time trying to make out what’s written on a page or just hear what someone is saying.
“’Brain fog’ isn’t a scientific term itself, but rather a mild cognitive dysfunction that may be caused by many different conditions.

 

Brain fog is a common symptom of:

      • chronic stress
      • hormonal changes
      • depression
      • dehydration
      • poor diet
      • certain medications (such as those for anxiety and depression)
      • other health conditions or infections

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As you get older, you may experience a gradual loss of some thinking abilities. A significant change may indicate another health condition. Your mind is central to your identity. The sharpness of your thinking, your ability to communicate and connect with others, and the rich trove of memories you’ve collected over a lifetime all have enormous value.

Mental Alertness*

 

Cognitive decline is the gradual loss of thinking abilities such as: learning. remembering. paying attention. reasoning. For some people, a small amount of cognitive decline happens as you age.

 

Stages of cognitive decline

Specialists generally recognize four stages of cognition as people age:

        • No cognitive impairment (NCI): You don’t experience any differences in your thinking ability or in the complex skills that make up cognition.
        • Subjective cognitive decline (SCD): You notice that some of your thinking abilities have begun to decline but not enough to interfere with how you function day to day.
        • Mild cognitive impairment (MCI): You experience a decline in your ability to reason, remember, use language, make judgments, and perceive the world around you accurately.
        • Dementia: You have trouble with activities of daily living. These include driving, paying bills, taking care of your living space, and caring for your body and your health.

NCI and SCD are typical as you get older. MCI and dementia are cognitive disorders with symptoms that can occur along a spectrum of severity.

 

Pure Health Research, Healthline,ScienceNewsExplores

 

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