Women- Calcium Supplements-Mortality Rates

From:  The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism
A new study of 9,033people,  found that over a 10 year period, women who took atleast 1,000 milligrams of calcium (every day)  were 22% less likely to die than those women who didn't take it. The same study found that calcium supplements taken by men had no statistical significance.
Published by the Canadian Multicentre Osteoporosis Study Research Group

Take Your Aspirin in the PM

The American Heart Assoc. recommends taking your low dose (81 mg) aspirin before you go to bed to gain the most from it's heart attack prevention benefits.

How Reasoning Ability Can Be Effected By Heart Health

A study published in JAMA NEUROLOGY by Rosebud Roberts, MB, ChB, professor of epidemiology, Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN found that amnestic mild cognitive impairment was found three times more often in women who presented with coronary artery disease, cogestive heart failure or other (heart) cardiac problems. Memory was not adversly affected only their reasoning ability. Advice: Keep blood pressure within normal limits for your age, control your glucose and cholestrol levels and exercise daily.

Alzheimer's Disease--Early Stages

Early Stage Alzheimer's behaviors  are often not detected by memory tests.  These beginning memory issues are minor but the affected person is usually aware and atttempts to compensate.  Careful observation and experience awareness can be used to determine early memory deficits. 
Early signs of AD include  1) memory changes that disrupt normal daily living activities,
2) trouble understanding and following 2-3 step instructions,  3) lack of usual problem solving abilities and 4) distraction when completing familiar tasks.

Water Intake Affects Our Cognitive Ability

Brain-imaging specialist  and assistant clinical professor of psychiatry and human behavior at the Un. of Cal. Irvine, School of Medicine, Daniel G Amen, MD  reminds us to drink half our body weight in water onces every day.
Dehydration increases our stress hormones which interfers with our cognitive abilities and will cause memory recall delay.  Alcohol and coffee are dehydrating fluids so limit intake while increasing intake of pure water and low calorie juices.
If you weigh 150 lbs. it's best to drink 75 onces of water a day.  Fill a pitcher in the morning to easily keep track of your intake.

For Brain Health: Eat Well and Exercise

We've all read the scientific evidence declaring how eating right and regular exercise can promote a healthy life for mature adults. Neurologist Dr Scott Small of Columbia University has found a relationship beween regular exercise and better function of the dentate gyrus.
The dentate gyrus is a small area in the brain's memory center, the hypocampus, which is extremely sensitive to the aging process but is not in the same area where Alzheimer's begins.
So let's all get out and add exercise to our daily routine.                                 Associated Press Report

Have FUN while boosting your cardio, improving your balance and strengthening your bones and brain.

Stanford's Laura L. Carstensen say's  "Dancing is a terrific exercise; it's fun and something most people can easily do." It pumps up your cardio system, strengthens your infrastructure (bones), works all the major muscle groups, builds stamina and coordination and improves balance and flexibility.

Best yet: Learning new steps ramps up brain power.  All forms of dancing diminish loneliness by combining the key elements of brain health :learning new things and socialization.
Get out there and have some fun line dancing--you don't need a partener.

Vascular Dementia and cocoa

USA Today reports a small, preliminary study published in the journal Neurology. Vascular neurologist, Farzaneh A. Sorond, co-writer of the study at Bringham and Women's Hospital in Boston, says "This is the first measure that could potentially identify individuals at risk before they develope (vascular) demenia disease."  The study followed 80 people older than 60 with risk factors such as high blood pressure or diabetis.  Both groups were told to drink 2 cups of hot cocoa daily.
Test at the beginning of the trial revealed about one third of the participants had early signs of memory loss. Those participants (not the higher functioning people) showed improvements in their
blood flow and cognitive test performance after one month of cocoa intake.
Heather Snyder, director of medical and scientific operation at the Alzheimer's Assoc. is not
encouraging mature adults to start drinking cocoa hoping it will save them from dementia.
One cup of cocoa has 100 calories, some fat and sugar. Always talk to your own medical
professional prior to changing your diet.

Scientists Find Clue to Age-Related Memory Loss

Researchers at Columbia University Medical Center, led by neurologist Dr.Scott Small,
have found a compeling clue in the quest to learn what causes age-related memory
decline. Their report suggests age related memory loss is a distinct condition, different
from pre-Alzheimers. So it may be considered to be normal "old age forgetfulness"  and
eventually be treatable.
After examining, young and old, brains of deceased individuals without neurologic
disease they discovered certain genes in a specific part of the hippocampus (the
brain's memory center) quits functioning properly as it produces amounts of a key protein
RbAp48, in mature adults.
Researchers suspect the dentate gyrus is highly vulnerable to the aging process but is not located
in the area of the brain where Alzheimers begins to form. Testing in older mice, who show the
same forgetfulness as older humans, showed that when mice were deprived of the RbAp48 protein memory decline was present. Their memory ability returned to it's previous level when the said protein was reintroduced into their diets.
We already know that routine exerecise also makes the dentate gyrus (the age targeted spot in the brain's hypocampus) function more efficiently and effectively.  
 Reported by Lauran Neergaard    Associated Press

ipad use if you have an implanted heart device.

Researchers at Central Valley Arrhythmia, Stockton,CA found the iPad 2 may cause implanted
heart devices to malfunction when placed on users chests. They found the magnets in an iPad
may alter the settings if implantable cardioverter defibrillators and possibly deactivate them.
Do not fall asleep with an iPad resting on your chest. To avoid this problem hold the iPad at a normal
reading distance.   Presented at the Heart Rhythm Society's annual meeting in Denver, CO.

Some artificial butters can cause protein clumps in the brain.

Researchers at the Un of MN published this information in  Chemical Reserach in Toxicology.

Many artificial butter flavorings contain the chemical diacetyl which promotes the protein
clumps associated with Alzheimer's Disease. If you use butter buy real butter or flavor
your food with herbs/spices. Watch out for the "movie" butter on your popcorn and used in
most restaurants.

Lower BP with Hibiscus Tea.

Results of a study, in people ages 30 to 70,  by researchers at HHRCA Antioxidants Research
Labs. Tufts Un., Boston.
Drinking hibiscus tea may reduce blood pressure as well as some blood pressure medications.
Adults with prehypertension or mild hypertension who enjoyed 3 cups of hibiscus tea every
day for 6 weeks saw a 7.2 point drop in their systolic pressure (the top number).  Those
taking the placebo drink saw only a 1 point drop.
The participants with the highest blood pressure at the start of the study saw the biggest
benefit.
Hibiscus tea is rich in antioxidants and has a tart fruity taste.

Living Will--who needs one and why...Get the facts.

What you need to know to complete your own and your family member's living will document.
Go to  www.lifehappens.org.

INSERM-French Governments Health Research Agency Report

Carole Dufouil, scientist at INSERM, reports at the Alzheimer's Assoc. International Conference
in Boston, MA  the "use it or lose it" theory about brainpower and staying mentally sharp is true.
The largest study, half a million people in France, found that delaying retirement lessens the risk of developing a variety of dementia's.
The risk of getting dementia was reduced by 3.2 percent for each week worked which was
related to staying physically active, mentally challenged and socially connected. The workers
surveyed had an average age of 74 and had been retired for an average of 12 years. People
who retired at age 65  showed about a 15 percent lower risk of developing dementia compared
to those who retired at age 60.  Researchers eliminated people who developed dementia within
5 years of their retirement to rule out the possibility that they retired because of memory
decline. So continue to work as long as you are physically able and/or work part time after
you officially retire.        reported by:  The Associated Press

New Dementia Medication Shows Promise

A  study by researchers at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston and the Alzhiemer's Disease Cooperative Study reported on testing of 2,052 patients taking solanezumb was submitted at a
recent meeting of the Ameican Neurological Ass. in Boston, MA.

"The experimental medicine, solanezumba, improved by 34%, the cognitive skills of patients with mild Alzheimer's disease . Solanezumba which is in late stage testing is one of several experimental drugs designed to remove beta-amyloid from the brain. Beta-amyloid is believed to have a toxic
effect on normal brain function."

"The Changes of Aging."

On Sunday, 7-7-13,  at 10 AM  I'll be the guest speaker at St Boniface Church in Waukee, IA
We'll be discussing "The Changes of Aging."  Hope to see you there.

Heart Disease Interfers with Reasoning Ability

Rosebud Roberts, MB, ChB of the Mayo Clinic reports a recent finding:
Woman who have coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure or
other cadiac problems are three times as likely as other woman to have
nonamestic mild cognitive impairment.
The condition affects reasoning ability but not memory.
Self  defense: Control blood pressure, cholestrol and glucose levels.
Exercise regularly. East rght. Don't smoke.
JAMA Neurology