Dave’s Diary: Prevent Shrinkage

I have a milestone birthday coming up…and no I don’t want to talk about it….but it has triggered some thoughts on aging and then today I found this….Most of us are aware that our bodies shrink a bit as we age – but did you know that your brain does too? Can we prevent that or are we destined to be mini-me and my mini-brain?

It’s bad enough that we lose some height and some hair as we age – but our brains can start to shrink as well. A recent study of elderly patients found that those who had diets high in trans-fats, like those found in some fast and packaged foods, actually had smaller brains and lower cognitive function than those who had healthier diets. Sounds like another ramp up for the pitch to drink water, get sleep, exercise, fruits and vegetable prescription that seems to be the answer to so many of our man made afflictions! And it sorta is but with a few more specifics.

Bring on the vitamins for bigger brains…or at least for keeping what we have as we age. Vitamins B, C, D and E will all help hold the line and frequent ingestion of Omega 3 fatty acids will help as well. Those in the know…the ones with the biggest brains… say some good choices would be flax seeds, salmon, sardines and walnuts.

For more info on taking that big old brain of yours with you into your golden years check out :

Source: http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=nutrient&dbid=84

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