Have berries on your cereal today!

Berries Delay Memory Decline

We have long known about the antioxidant properties of strawberries and blueberries to help us stay healthy. Now, a new study from the Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) in Boston, Massachusetts finds that a high intake of flavonoid rich berries, like strawberries and blueberries, over time, can delay memory decline in older women by 2.5 years. Recently published by ”Annals of Neurology”, a journal of the American Neurological Association

and Child Neurology Society, the large-scale berry study has a massive amount of data, analyzed over such a long period of time.

“Among [older] women who consumed two or more servings of strawberries and blueberries each week we saw a modest reduction in memory decline. This effect appears to be attainable with relatively simple dietary
modifications”, explained Elizabeth Devore, a researcher in the Channing Laboratory at BWH and lead author on this study.

The research team used data from the Nurses’ Health Study—a cohort of
121,700 female, registered nurses between the ages of 30 and 55—who
completed health and lifestyle questionnaires beginning in 1976. Since 1980,
they surveyed participants every four years regarding their frequency of
food consumption. Between 1995 and 2001, memory was measured in 16,010 subjects with a mean age of 74, at two-year intervals. 

A greater intake of *anthocyanidins and total flavonoids was also associated
with reduced memory decline. Researchers observed that women who had higher berry intake had delayed memory decline by up to 2.5 years. 

This study is the first epidemiologic evidence that berries appear to slow
progression of memory decline in elderly women,” notes Dr. Devore. Their
findings have significant public health implications for reducing memory
decline in older adults with the simple dietary modification of increasing
berry intake. 

Expect more such studies pinpoint the valuable properties of nutrients in
fresh fruits and vegetables. Supplement manufacturers will market isolated
forms of these nutrients; however, we believe that further study will
demonstrate the necessity of eating fruits/vegetables in their natural
state. The Raw Movement will attract more adherents, as more is known about the value of eating all kinds of foods in their natural, unprocessed states.

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This study was funded by grants from the National Institutes of Health (P01 CA87969) and the California Strawberry Commission. The study was independently controlled by the investigators who performed the data analysis.

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REFERENCE:

Devore, E., Kang, J., Breteler, M., & Grodstein, F. (2012). Dietary intakes of berries and flavonoids in relation to cognitive decline Annals of Neurology DOI: 10.1002/ana.23594

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* Anthocyanidins are common plant pigments found in red and blueberries that appear to have nutritional value and flavonoids are common plant pigment compounds that act as antioxidants, enhance the effects of Vitamin C, and strengthen connective tissue around capillaries.

Happiness wave study reveals happy pensioners, and debunks middle-age blues myth

People are at their happiest at retirement age and their most miserable in their geriatric years, a new study has found.

The study into the ‘happiness wave’, conducted by Dr Tony Beatton of Queensland University of Technology and Professor Paul Frijters of The University of Queensland, has revealed how happiness changes over a lifetime for people living in Australia, Germany and Britain. 

“We all strive towards happiness, but we wanted to find out at what point in life we actually reach this goal,” said Dr Beatton. 

The same study has debunked the idea of the middle-age blues, blaming an over-representation of unhappy respondents in previous surveys. 

Collecting data from more than 60,000 people in Australia, Britain and Germany, the pair found people were happiest as they entered retirement age (55-75), and most miserable close to death (80-90). 

For a representative 18-year-old with a happiness level of 7 on a 10-point scale, the peak happiness age was found to be 65 in Australia, reaching 7.3, compared with Britain (7.2 at aged 70), and Germany (7 at 65). 

“Our interpretation of these findings is that individuals over 55 no longer have unrealistic expectations of what their life will be like and simply enjoy their reasonable health and wealth, leading to a marked surge in happiness. As their health starts to deteriorate after 75, their happiness plunges,” said Dr Beatton. 

The study considered figures from three surveys – the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey of 16,000 people in Australia, the British Household Panel Survey (BHPS) of 25,000 in England and the German Socioeconomic Panel Survey (GSOEP) of 20,600 people in Germany. 

It found in Australia, happiness peaks at 7.3 by age 65 but then drops increasingly fast as death approaches, with happiness levels at 6.6 at the age of 90 and over. 

In Britain, the figures were similar, with the happiness peak slightly later at age 70, and the peak itself not as high as for Australians, reaching only 7.2, then declining to 6.3 over the age of 90. 

“Life in old age is clearly relatively better in Australia than the UK, perchance because of the better weather, more generous public pensions, and more space for the grey nomads to roam,” said Dr Beatton. 

In Germany, happiness peaks at 7 at age 65, preceded by a reduction in happiness during early adulthood. A sharp drop occurs after age 75. Over 90, happiness level drop to around 5.8. 

“Life appears to simply get worse and worse in Germany after the age of 18,” said Dr Beatton. 

“Also, it appears mainly miserable middle-aged Germans respond to the GSOEP, and they become more honest and miserable as they answer the questions year after year, leaving problems with the data.” 

Previous studies appear to have been hampered by having relatively more middle-aged people in their data than in the actual population. 

“Happy people in middle age are busy and don’t have time to participate in lengthy surveys, while more miserable people tend to keep responding to the survey. This led previous studies to erroneously show high degrees of unhappiness in middle-age,” said Dr Beatton. 

“If you follow the same people over time however, you do not see this drop in happiness level when people get into their 40s, hence no middle-age ‘U-shaped blues’ pattern can be found, particularly not in Australia or Britain,” he said. 

The study has since been published in the Journal of Economic Behaviour and Organisation. 

Author: Dr Tony Beatton. School of Economics and Finance, QUT Business School, Queensland University of Technology. Brisbane, Australia (M + 61 402 487 581 or t.beatton@qut.edu.au) 

Alternate contact: Professor Paul Frijters. School of Economics, UQ Business School, The University of Queensland. Brisbane, Australia (p.frijters@uq.edu.au). 

Downloads: The freely available early working paper version of the study can be found 
here: http://ideas.repec.org/p/qut/auncer/2008-15.html and the complete published paper is available here: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jebo.2012.03.008

Positive Ageing: All in the mind

Posted by Australian Ageing Agenda in Monday, November 23rd 2009

Melbourne neuropsychologist, Dr Judy Tang, believes older Australians are not doing enough to keep their brains active and as a result, they are ageing prematurely. According to Dr Tang, it is important that elderly people have a positive attitude about the ageing process.

“There are so many negative perceptions about ageing,” she said. “Even when younger adults have a lapse in memory, the first thing they say is, ‘I must be getting old’ and this way of thinking is ingrained in society.” Dr Tang said the brain is like muscle and it needs to be stretched and trained continually.

“My personal opinion is that doing crosswords and Sudokus is better than doing nothing,” she said. “But if you keep doing the same types of crosswords, they no longer present as much of a challenge and the benefits are limited.”

The best way to keep ageing brains active is to try new experiences and to meet new people, Dr Tang said. “As part of the ageing process, friends come and go and older people don’t always seek out new friendships but that can lead to social isolation and all sorts of other problems.”

“The older adults who do exceptionally well in our thinking tests are the ones that are willing to give new activities a go. “Among those that don’t perform so well, one of the first things they say is, ‘Oh this sounds too hard’ or, ‘I don’t think I can do that’.”

Dr Tang has devised a program which aims to help older people to maintain and improve their cognitive skills. In January she will be holding a series of WISEBRAIN seminars in Melbourne where she will share strategies for improving concentration, learning and memory.

Neuropsychological testing for those that engage in aggressive sports

Sport Concussion

If you engage in aggressive sports or know someone who does it may be beneficial for you to consider having neuropsychological before, during or after your career.  Those that engage in sports like soccer, lacrosse, baseball, rugby, (Australian) football, hockey and others are prone to being physically knocked around much more so than the average person.  As a result the number of injuries reported by participants in these sports is fairly high; one area that isn’t usually discussed much however is the effect that these injuries have on the brain. One of the most common injuries reported in aggressive sports is of course the concussion.  A concussion occurs when the head or body endures some kind of physical force or trauma which results in the brain actually moving around inside the skull.  A concussion can result in a wide variety of complications such as:

• Loss of consciousness
• Memory loss
• Nausea / vomiting
• Seizure
• Coma
• Mobility issues
• Death
• Bleeding of the brain or surrounding tissue
• Paralysis

Even if a subject displays no common symptoms associated with a concussion they could still suffer adverse affects from it in the future.  This could come in the form of some type of brain damage, memory impairment, or change in personality. It is very common for athletes that engage in aggressive sports to undergo some type of neuropsychological test directly preceding the start of each season in order to determine whether or not they are fit to compete.  However, it is not as common for players to seek out similar testing once they’ve finished up a season or have moved on from sports.  Most individuals assume that if they seem to be stable that everything is alright; but it is entirely possible that someone could be showing subtle signs of a serious condition that might not rear its head for years to come.  That is the reason why it is important for those that engage in aggressive sports to consider frequent neuropsychological testing.  If there are any problems they can be treated as soon as possible, before any possible complications arise. About neuropsychological testingMost people assume that neuropsychological testing is a indistinct scientific inquiry; this is not the case at all.  During the last couple of decades they have become increasingly accurate; in fact, they are accurate well above 80% of the time.  And as the technology evolves (and it does every single day) that percentage will rise even closer toward 100%.  The tests are somewhat time-consuming, but they do provide doctors and patients with real data that can be further evaluated.  The testing areas covered usually include:

• Problem solving, skill accumulation
• Concentration / focusing abilities
• Language comprehension and expression
• Visual-spatial and Visual-motor coordination
• Planning and organizational aptitude
• Short-term and long-term memory
• Logical and abstract based reasoning

Most athletes won’t consider neuropsychological testing to be that important; but just how important is the mind.  Without a properly functioning brain, you have nothing.  Athletes need to understand that they are not invincible and / or immortal; their brain is a delicate machine and needs to be properly cared for.  If they have sustained any kind of brain injury during the course of their activities it may not present itself immediately.  In fact, a serious problem may not present itself for many years down the line, but by that time it may too late to undo any damage that may have resulted from lack of treatment.

Telomerase activator could be most powerful anti-aging supplement yet

The world of anti-aging just received another big breakthrough; it’s an enzyme called Telomerase.  What does this enzyme do exactly, you ask?  In normal human cells there exists something called the hayflick limit.  Normally, every time a cell divides the DNA sequences found at the end of chromosomes (telomeres) shorten; this ultimately leads to cellular degeneration, which results in aging.  Telomerase works by repairing the ends of DNA sequences, thereby extending the life cycles of individual cells and by extension, the person. In fact, shortened telomeres are now being linked to a whole host of various illnesses; some associated with aging some not.  These could include Alzheimer’s, osteoporosis, and diabetes.  It is even thought that telomerase may be able to aid researchers in discovering a cure for cancer.    In a recent study conducted by scientists it was found that when Telomerase was administered to mice, the lifespan of the animal was extended while cancerous elements were suppressed beyond the life of the animal. Telomerase is an enzyme composed of protein and RNA subunits that extends chromosomes by adding additional sequences to the end of them. Where is Telomerase found? It is found in fetal tissues, adult germ cells, as well as tumor cells. Once telomerase is activated within a cell, the cell will continue on growing and dividing. This perpetual cell theory is important in both aging and cancer research. Cancer cells are also known as malignant cells; they continue to multiply until they coalesce into a tumor, which then becomes unstable. Telomerase has been discovered in human cancer cells where it is found to be many times more active than it would be in normal cells. Essentially, this is what provides the fuel for many tumors and cancers. If there was a way to effectively turn off the telomeres in cancerous cells, their life spans would shorten significantly. Telomerase offers the possibility that one day human cells could proliferate indefinitely.  This would greatly slow down the aging process, perhaps even making it possible for people to live many years beyond what was previously thought possible. Resources / links:

• http://www.nature.com/news/2010/101128/full/news.2010.635.html
• http://www4.utsouthwestern.edu/cellbio/shay-wright/intro/facts/sw_facts.html
• http://www.curebum.com/reneuve-telomerase-enzyme/
• http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/2009/press.html
• http://ouroboros.wordpress.com/2008/11/16/telomerase-expression-slows-aging/

New scan can detect the presence of Alzheimer’s

A new method has been developed that allows doctors to use a PET scanner to detect the buildup of amyloidal plaque which is thought to be responsible for Alzheimer’s disease.  With the discovery of this new method to detect Alzheimer’s disease years before patients even begin showing symptoms there is an even bigger chance that doctors may discover a way to effectively treat the condition. A panel of experts whose advice the FDA usually follows originally voted against allowing physicians to conduct the testing procedure has recently overturned their original decision.  They are now recommending that qualifying technicians and physicians undergo training procedures in order to allow for the use of this new method of identifying the presence of the disease.  This is exciting news because this could ultimately lead to better ways of treating those patients that are currently afflicted with Alzheimer’s. What is thought to be the cause of Alzheimer’s disease? It is currently understood that the accumulation of beta-amyloid aggregates or arterial plaque in the brain are responsible for the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.  As these aggregates accumulate in greater numbers they disrupt the function of neurons.  Over time, they permanently impair healthy brain function; once this process starts it is currently understood that it is irreversible. How the scan worksA radioactive dye called Amyvid (once injected) attaches itself to amyloid plaque, this allows a qualified individual to see the buildup of plaque. Increased presence of Amyvid seems to indicate a strong possibility that someone could possibly develop Alzheimer’s disease at a later date. Identifying the exact cause (or causes) and nature of Alzheimer’s has still not been identified with 100% certainty.  There are many cases where individuals that showed an elevated concentration of amyvid never developed Alzheimer’s or even showed any symptoms at all.  So it is still unclear what causes the disease in the first place.  Finnish scientists have linked vitamin B12 deficiency with the disease.  So it’s a good idea for elderly individuals to get proportionate amounts of vitamin B12 on a regular basis, just for good measure. Resources / links:

• http://www.medindia.net/news/FDA-Recommends-New-Brain-Scan-to-Detect-Alzheimers-79760-1.htm
• http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110121/hl_afp/healthusdiseaseresearch
• http://dementiaviews.blogspot.com/2011/01/better-brain-scan-to-detect-alzheimers.html
• http://www.b12patch.com/blog/symptoms-of-aging/fda-approves-brain-scan-to-detect-alzheimer%E2%80%99s-disease/

Cognitive changes with Sports Collision

Number of recorded concussions in football and/or other games In the United States 1.6 to 3.8 million cases of concussions caused by sports related activities occur each year. In high schoolscases of concussion occur, mostly while playing football. During each season, 4% of high school and college football players suffer from concussions. Most of the concussions are caused by smashing into another player’s helmet. In rugby football 4.1 concussions injuries occur for every 1000 player-hours. Most of the concussions are caused by tackling or being tackled head-on and collisions. In Canadian college ice hockey 1.55 concussions injuries occur for every 1000 athlete exposures. Most of the concussions are caused by direct collisions into another player or into the boards or Plexiglas. Boxing is different than the other impact sports, since blows to the head are allowed, raising the risk for chronic concussions. A recent study done on professional boxing in Australia reports a rate of 250 head injuries for every 1000 boxers a year, 18% (45) are concussions injuries. Immediate cognitive changes when concussed in game Concussion is a mild traumatic brain injury. The immediate cognitive changes while concussed in a game are: loss of awareness about which period it is; who the opposing team is, and what the score of game is; confusion; amnesia (memory loss) and loss of consciousness. Typical symptoms are headaches or pressure in the head; nausea and vomiting; vision problems ‘seeing stars/flashing lights’ double or blurred vision; feeling stunned, ‘dinged’ ‘dazed’ or ‘foggy’, balance problems as dizziness; hearing problems as ringing in the ears; feeling slow and exhausted. Most symptoms resolve and players can go back to practice between 1-7 days. Longer term changes to brain/cognitive changes in high impact sports (e.g. boxing, football) After a concussion especially after loss of consciousness, serious problems can develop causing temporarydisability and stress. Different brain regions and systems control the different cognitive domains, and a brain injury causing a concussion can affect a range of neural networks. Cognitive problems may include disturbances in consciousness (difficulties being alert and being able to respond), attention (difficulties focusing, concentrating and easily distracted) memory loss, motor difficulties (poor coordination and balance, unsteadiness and loss of balance when walking) concussive convulsion/impact seizure, communication (slow in answering questions or following directions, slurred speech), personality changes (more emotional than usual and display of inappropriate emotions laughing and crying, irritability, sadness nervous or anxious), sleeping difficulties and sensitivity to light or noises. These cognitive difficulties can interfere with academic achievements, occupationalabilities, interpersonal relationships and functioning in daily life. More on Concussion Impact http://pagingdrgupta.blogs.cnn.com/2010/12/01/new-study-one-step-closer-to-measuring-concussion-impact/ References Cynthia W et al Concussion in Sports: Postconcussive Activity Levels, Symptoms, and Neurocognitive Performance J Athl Train. 2008 May–Jun; 43(3): 265–274. Broglio SP et al The Biomechanical Properties of Concussions in High School Football. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2010 Mar 25 McCrory P et al Summary and agreement statement of the 2nd International Conference on Concussion in Sport, Prague 2004 Br J Sports Med. 2005 Apr;39(4):196-204. Center for Health, Exercise and Sports Medicine & The Brain Research Institute, University of Melbourne, Australia. Benson BW et al The impact of face shield use on concussions in ice hockey: a multivariate analysis. Br J Sports Med. 2002 Feb;36(1):27-32. Zazryn TR et al A 16 year study of injuries to professional boxers in the state of Victoria, Australia. Br J Sports Med. 2003 Aug;37(4):321-4. back to blog