Vitamin D: another weapon in the arsenal against cognitive decline

According to a sizeable study published in the May issue of the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry, getting plenty of Vitamin D - the sunshine vitamin - may help keep you sharper as you age.

The study measured the vitamin D blood levels in more than 3,000 men aged 40 to 79, and then assessed their performance on standard cognitive tests. They discovered that men with lower levels of the vitamin scored lower on measures of cognitive agility when compared to those with higher levels - even after adjusting for differences like depression, physical activity levels and education. These factors all affect cognitive ability and agility as we age.

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Study repudiates 'chemo brain'

New research, reported in the latest issue of Mind, Mood & Memory (Massachusetts General Hospital) suggests that the widely reported memory and cognitive problems reported by breast cancer patients and blamed on chemotherapy - including yours truly, Maven - may more likely blamed on the more general effects of the diagnosis and treatments that saved our lives.

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Nutrition Action from CSPI

That’s the Center for Science in the Public Interest, one of my enduringly favorite sources of reliable information. Really, if you want the straight scoop about food, nutrition and other health and wellness issues, this is one of the best places you can go to.

In this months’ newsletter there is a large article on how to keep your brain young - which all of us seem to be interested in these days. It seems that the bottom line is as follows:

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Sharp at any age: exercise to reverse cognitive decline

We know that there a lot of great reasons to stay active and physically fit, but in our culture most of the attention goes to the relationship between activity and our appearance.

Exercise has so many other really valuable benefits, beyond a healthy physical appearance, that we need an occasional reality check.

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