Move your body–boost your brain.


The study followed dozens of women ages 70-80 who suffer from mild cognitive impairment. Participants answered questions that tested spatial and verbal memory, then they were divided into three groups. One group regularly lifted weights, one group engaged in brisk walking, and the third group simply stretched. After 6 months, the stretching group scored worse on the memory tests, while the other two groups performed better. While both exercising groups improved on the spatial memory test (your remembrance of where things are located or placed), the women who walked showed greater improvements in verbal memory (your ability to remember words) than the group who had lifted weights.

Researches concluded that while exercise positively impacts cognitive function, endurance training and weight training might have different physiological effects within the brain and cause improvements in different types of memory.

Researchers unlock memory-boosting ability of omega-3s.

memoryWhile there are now more than 12,000 medical journal articles detailing the health benefits of omega-3s, few of them address how omega-3s are able to deliver the benefits. That’s exactly what researchers from the university of alberta set out to do. In a study published in the October 2012 issue of Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, Yves Sauve, Ph.D., and his team set out to discover how omega-3s in fish improve memory in humans. “What we discovered,” says Dr. Sauve, “is that memory cells in the hippocampus could communicate better with each other and better relay messages when DHA levels in that region of the brain were higher.”

Sauve and his team found that when the diet is supplemented with DHA, more of the essential omega-3 fatty acids are deposited in the brain. This finding supports the existing body of research that indicates a diet high in omega-3s and/or dietary supplementation with omega-3s may protect memory and prevent declining DHA levels in the brain as we age.