‘Wisdom’ Helps Older Brains Keep Pace, Study Shows

Q.    I notice that my elderly dad still is very bright, but he takes a while longer to process information. Is that part of aging and how can we help him keep his mind as well as his body in good shape?

Here’s a study that may explain what’s happening with your dad. In a matched test, the brains of older people were not as fast as those in a group of younger people, but they performed just as well because their brains are wiser, say Canadian researchers.

“It was already known that aging is not necessarily associated with a significant loss in cognitive function,” explains Dr. Oury Monchi, University Geriatrics Institute of Montreal. “We now have neurobiological evidence showing that with age comes wisdom and that as the brain gets older, it learns to better allocate its resources. When it comes to certain tasks, the brains of older adults can achieve very close to the same performance as those of younger ones,” Monchi added.

The study included a group of 24 people aged 18 to 35 and a group of 10 people aged 55 to 75 who were still active professionally. For this test, participants were asked to pair words according to different lexical rules, including semantic category (animal, object, etc.), rhyme, or the beginning of the word (attack).

“When the young participants made a mistake and had to plan and execute a new strategy to get the right answer, various parts of their brains were recruited even before the next task began. However, when the older participants learned that they had made a mistake, these regions were only recruited at the beginning of the next trial, indicating that with age, we decide to make adjustments only when absolutely necessary. It is as though the older brain is more impervious to criticism and more confident than the young brain.”

That’s interesting information to consider. A mounting body of research also has shown that keeping the brain active is one important part of healthy aging. So anything you can do to encourage your dad to stay busy is valuable. The local Home Instead Senior Care^® office has a number of resources for family caregivers at http://www.caregiverstress.com/ that can help keep seniors healthy and engaged.

For more information about Home Instead Senior Care of Frederick County, go to www.homeinstead.com/627. For more information about the study, visit http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-08/uom-css082511.php.

Hold the Bacon! Processed Foods Increase Diabetes Risk

Q.    My 82-year-old father just loves bacon and has several slices every morning. Since Mom died last year, I can’t seem to get him to eat a healthier diet. Any suggestions?

Widowers can take the path of least resistance – foods that they love to eat and are easy to prepare, but may not be healthy for them. Too much processed foods can be among those choices.

A study of more than 400,000 participants by Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) researchers finds a strong association between the consumption of red meat, particularly when the meat is processed, and an increased risk of type 2 diabetes that strikes more than one of four senior citizens. The study also shows that replacing red meat with healthier proteins, such as low-fat dairy, nuts, or whole grains, can significantly lower the risk.

This study is among the first to estimate the risk reduction associated with substituting healthier protein choices for red meat.

After adjusting for age, body mass index (BMI), and other lifestyle and dietary risk factors, the researchers found that a daily 100-gram serving of unprocessed red meat (about the size of a deck of cards) was associated with a 19 percent increased risk of type 2 diabetes.

They also found that one daily serving of half that quantity of processed meat – 50 grams (for example, one hot dog or sausage or two slices of bacon) – was associated with a 51 percent increased risk.

“Clearly, the results from this study have huge public health implications given the rising type 2 diabetes epidemic and increasing consumption of red meats worldwide,” said senior author Frank Hu, professor of nutrition and epidemiology at HSPH, who co-authored the study with An Pan, research fellow. “The good news is that such troubling risk factors can be offset by swapping red meat for a healthier protein.”

The researchers found that, for an individual who eats one daily serving of red meat:

·         substituting one serving of nuts per day was associated with a 21 percent lower risk of type 2 diabetes;

·         substituting low-fat dairy, a 17 percent lower risk; and

·         substituting whole grains, a 23 percent lower risk.

Loneliness can impact widows and widowers like your father. Consider contacting your local Home Instead Senior Care^® office to discuss how they might help. And visit http://www.mealsandcompanionships/, for health tips, health lifestyle options and recipes.

For more information about Home Instead Senior Care of Frederick County, visit www.homeinstead.com/627. For more about the study, go to http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/press-releases/2011-releases/red-meat-type-2-diabetes.html.

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 Frederick 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 Frederick County, go to http://www.homeinstead.com/627/627. 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/.

Secret to Longevity: Genetics and Lifestyle

Q.    My friends and I were at coffee the other day and the topic of longevity came up. Half the group felt that genetics were responsible for a long life and the other half said they felt it was lifestyle. Who’s right? We’re all in our 80s so I think we’ve done pretty well attempting to figure out this mystery.

You can go back to your group with the news that everyone is correct. Both genetics and a healthy lifestyle are important to healthy aging. Two recent studies lend credence to both theories. New research by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirms what other studies have uncovered. If you want to live longer don’t smoke, eat healthy, exercise and drink alcohol moderately.

During the study period, people who engaged in all four healthy behaviors were 63 percent less likely to die early, compared with people who did not practice any of the behaviors. But people can live longer if they practice even just one of these healthy lifestyle behaviors, according to the CDC. Not smoking provided the most protection from dying from all of the causes examined.

People who engaged in all four healthy behaviors were: 

·         66 percent less likely to die early from cancer,

·         65 percent less likely to die early from cardiovascular disease, and

·         57 percent less likely to die early from other causes compared with people who did not engage in any of the healthy behaviors.

On the other hand, another recent study has revealed that people who live to 95 or older are no more virtuous than the rest of us in terms of their diet, exercise routine or smoking and drinking habits, according to research by the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University, Bronx, N.Y. That group found that genes were an important indicator of longevity.

Overall, people with exceptional longevity did not have healthier habits than the comparison group in terms of body mass index (BMI), smoking, physical activity or diet, that research indicated.

Let the debate continue! Take these results back to your coffee klatch and you are sure to generate even more discussion. Remember, as you all start to need support, assistance at home can help you and your friends remain independent longer. Contact your Frederick County Home Instead Senior Care^® office today for more information.

For more information about Home Instead Senior Care of Frederick County, visit www.homeinstead.com/627. To learn more about the CDC study, go to http://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2011/p0818_living_longer.html. For more information about the centenarian study, visit http://www.einstein.yu.edu/home/news.asp?ID=678.