Want to Keep the Memory Sharp? Give Up Salt, Take Fish Oil and Hit the Exercise Trail

Q.    The older I get the more I am concerned about avoiding dementia and keeping my memory strong. What can I do for that?

Actually, there are several things to do as well as to avoid, according to the latest research. Senior citizens who lead sedentary lifestyles and consume a lot of sodium in their diet may be damaging their mental health.

A study led by Dr. Alexandra Fiocco, a scientist with Baycrest’s Kunin-Lunenfeld Applied and Evaluative Research Unit (KLAERU)  in Toronto, Canada, has found evidence that high-salt diets coupled with low physical activity can be detrimental to cognitive health in older adults.

The study followed the sodium consumption and physical activity levels of 1,262 healthy elderly men and women (ages 67 – 84) residing in Quebec, Canada, over three years. The adults were recruited from a large pool of participants in the Quebec Longitudinal Study on Nutrition and Successful Aging (NuAge).

While low sodium intake is associated with reduced blood pressure and risk of heart disease, this is believed to be the first study to extend the benefits of a low sodium diet to brain health in healthy older adults.

Elsewhere, the evidence from a recent study of older people indicates that consuming fish oil supplements has a positive impact on brain health and aging. The study included 819 individuals, 117 of whom reported regular use of fish oil supplements before entry and during study follow-up.

The researchers compared cognitive functioning and brain atrophy for patients who reported routinely using these supplements to those who were not using fish oil supplements. Research results report better cognitive functioning as well as a difference in brain structure between people taking fish oil supplements and non-users.

This research should provide you with plenty of ammunition in your arsenal to make a difference in how you approach aging. If you have trouble staying active, a Home Instead CAREGiver^SM could help. CAREGivers from the Carroll County Home Instead Senior Care^® office provide seniors with plenty of motivation to stay on top of a healthy lifestyle. CAREGivers are screened, trained, bonded and insured, and many are seniors as well.

For more information about Home Instead Senior Care of Carroll County to to /627.1www.homeinstead.com. For more about the sodium-exercise study, visit http://research.baycrest.org/news/showByTitle/title/older-adults-with-too-much-salt-in-their-diet-and-too-little-exercise-at-greater-risk-of-cognitive-decline/src/@random4d822358917ef. For more information about the fish oil study, go to http://www.lifespan.org/news/2011/08/17/rhode-island-hospital-study-identifies-fish-oils-impact-on-cognition-and-brain-structure/.