What a Gift! A 1-2-3 Punch to Fight Dementia with Nutrition
When it comes to brain health, food and nutrition are great preventative medicine. Specific nutrients can actually affect your present brain health, and also reduce your risk of cognitive decline later in life. You can fight dementia with nutrition.
Today we’ve got quite a gift! Three recent studies highlight nutrients that fight and help prevent dementia. They are relatively inexpensive (one’s free) and can be put into practice starting today.
Three Studies to Fight Dementia with Nutrition
Study #1: Magnesium Fights Dementia
Magnesium is a very important mineral in the body that plays a part in hundreds of reactions and functions. Unfortunately, many adults are low in magnesium intake and blood levels.
A recent study from the United States of almost 6500 women found that those who consumed higher amounts of magnesium had a 37% lower risk of developing cognitive decline and impairment compared to those who consumed less. The higher-magnesium group consumed between 257 milligrams and 317 milligrams of magnesium per day; the lower group consumed than 197 milligrams per day.
The participants were followed for an average of 20 years, beginning around 70 years of age (1).
In another study from the Netherlands, scientists found that those with the lowest blood levels of magnesium had a 30% higher risk of developing dementia during the course of the study.
The researchers followed 9500 adults for 8 years (2).
While these studies do not establish cause and effect, they do suggest strong links between magnesium consumption, blood levels, and cognitive decline.
Read this post for a full report of magnesium deficiency signs and sources to improve it including this high-quality magnesium supplement.
Study #2: Omega-3s Fight Dementia
It has been long known that omega-3s are great for brain health.
A recent study in China has linked the intake of omega-3s from marine sources with reduced risk of cognitive decline and memory loss.
In this study, participants consumed 2 grams of DHA from algae oil per day for one year.
After the year, MRI exams showed a 4% increase in the volume of their hippocampus (vital for memory formation). Participants given the same amount of corn oil rather than omega-3s did not show the same growth (3).
Another study from 2017 found that older men and women with an average age of 71 years experienced 40 mg DHA and 720 mg EPA per day slightly improved measures of cognitive function. They also increased the speed of working memory (4).
And there’s more good news! Divine Health’s Living Krill Oil supplement is one of the most potent, high-quality omega-3 sources you can take.
Study #3: Intermittent Fasting Can Improve Brain Aging and May Fight Dementia
Intermittent fasting (IF) is the simple practice of abstaining from food or having very restricted calorie intake, for many hours of each day, or for several days of each week. It is often used within Keto Zone eating.
Studies have long shown that IF can increase the resistance of neurons to disease, injury, and decline by improving and stimulating the stress response of the cells. In short, it can promote better brain aging.
However, there have not been good human studies on IF and dementia specifically. Thankfully, there are been many animal studies that support IF’s ability to fight dementia.
A recent animal study has looked at IF’s impact on brain inflammation and dementia. In this study, rats were subjected to IF for 30 days and subjected to systemic bacterial infection (sepsis). In the end, it was found that IF activated NF-kB, suppressed inflammation, and supported brain health. The rats that did not continue in IF exhibited cognitive decline.
What’s more, IF was found to induce adaptive responses that suppressed inflammation in the brain, preserving healthy brain function even when subjected to a bacterial injury (5).
In addition, other studies have found that IF protects against declines in cognitive function, energy metabolism, and Alzheimer’s disease (6). And best of all, this one’s free!
Bottom Line
It’s the gift-giving season, and nutrition has a gift for you. You can use healthy Keto Zone eating, magnesium foods, and supplementation, omega-3s, and intermittent fasting to fight dementia with nutrition. Health is one of the best gifts of all.
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