lifestyle e-news
Issue 14 February 2014
Lifestyle and Brain Health. Cam McDonald Are you combining lifestyle medicine to get the best out of your brain? The old idea that your brain cells disappear never to return after each alcoholic drink, may have served a small purpose in reducing some consumption. However, it gave little hope to those who wanted to unwind the damage caused by a fun 20’s, 30’s experience. The good news from the last 2 decades is that your brain is a busy reproducer of new brain cells, and this phenomenon extends into your 60’s and beyond. This is timely news, as the rate of mental disease including Depression, Anxiety, Bi-polar disease, Alzheimer’s, Dementia and others is rapidly increasing and currently affects 20% (3.2 million) of Australians aged 16 to 85. Evidence supporting lifestyle medicine to reduce this burden have become more substantive in recent years, such that recommendations are becoming more objective and specific. Exercise One of the commonalities to a number of mental conditions is a decrease in the size and function of the hippocampus, a brain region used for memory, focus and attention. Similarly, there seems to be a marked reduction in the production of a critical neurochemical, brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF; AKA: Brain Fertiliser). This hormone is responsible for the production, maintenance and survival of baby, old and growing neurons. Not to mention it is extremely anti-inflammatory and produces neuroprotective antioxidants. Aerobic exercise, and to a lesser extent resistance training have been shown to not only reverse the age related wasting of the hippocampus, but has been shown to reverse this process resulting in an INCREASED brain volume in >60 yr olds. The study by Ericksson et al had older guys run on a treadmill for 45 minutes, 3 times/week for 12 months. Compared to control, the hippocampal volume increased 1-2%, compared to a decrease of 1-2% in control. In addition, without any cognitive specific training, visuo-spatial memory (a hippocampus task) improved in the exercise group. Match these findings with the promising data on early cognitive decline and depression, exercise is the wonder drug for brains – prescribe it today! (Check out Exercise is Medicine website for more info on the benefits and prescriptions) Long story short, exercise increases brain function and reverses the effects of ageing in an area specific to mental disease. Nutrition Just like the heart, the brain needs fuel, and it also needs the right building blocks to tackle the challenge of growing and maintaining brain cells. AND, just like the heart, a Mediterranean diet profile is looking like your best bet to enhance cognitive health and prevent age related decline in some measures. Indeed, it has even been shown to be linked to an increase in BDNF and reduced rates of depression. In addition, individual nutrients have raised some interest. Since neurogenesis is the critical element of good cognitive function, nutrients that stimulate and support this growth are going to be key to healthy brains. Omega-3 from fish, krill, calamari!!!, particularly that which is high in DHA have been shown to be important elements in brain growth, and a meta-analysis indicates it’s also pretty handy for depression. Not only does omega-3 improve vasculature as we know from cardiac research, but synaptic membranes consist of up to 40% DHA omega-3 – an essential building block. Other nutrients worth noting include folate, B12 and flavonoids; spices like turmeric and cinnamon also have an effect on brain related optimisation. The combination Recent research is even showing that pairing exercise and omega-3 together may have synergistic effects. Not only from an antiinflammatory perspective, but providing BDNF release for the growth of brain cells, and adding a critical building block (omega-3 DHA) may significantly improve neurogenesis – an interesting idea rather than continually analysing individual modalities!
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