Your Most Important Organ

 

Hi Readers, can you identify the most important organ in the body? LOL, it is the BRAIN. I recently attended an online seminar sponsored by the International Federation on Ageing* and the guest was a renowned brain expert, Dr. Andrew Budson. Educated at Haverford College and Harvard Medical School, Dr. Budson is Chief of Cognitive Behavioral Neurology at the VA Boston Healthcare System, Associate Director of the Boston University Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, Professor of Neurology at Boston University, and Lecturer in Neurology at Harvard Medical School. The lecture was both fascinating and informative and I am passing along the main points to my loyal readers.

Why is brain health important? Caring for our brains does not begin in old age. Brain health is essential beginning in childhood and continues across the lifespan. People who sustain head injuries as children and youth, especially those with multiple injuries from sports such as boxing and football, are more likely to develop degenerative brain disease later in life. The use of seatbelts and helmets is critical for protecting brains from impact injuries.

Developing healthy everyday habits is essential for optimum brain health and it is never too late. Budson emphasized eating a healthy diet like the Mediterranean diet, and regularly consuming poultry, fish, and whole grains. Avoiding highly processed foods is encouraged. Next, getting at least 150 minutes of aerobic exercise a week. Also, take the stairs instead of the elevator and seek opportunities to walk more! Park the car far away from the stores and embrace the longer stroll. Readers, there are numerous articles I have written on this blog about the advantages of living in a two-story home over ranchers. Stairs are your friend! Further, Dr. Budson remarked that people adopting these brain health recommendations may also avoid Type 2 Diabetes.

Aging studies have shown that social engagement is the cornerstone of retaining optimum brain functioning. Dr. Budson stressed the importance of staying cognitively engaged by remaining socially active. During social interactions, brain neurons are firing and most of the brain is activated, leading to positive outcomes. He explained that seven percent of dementias are related to hearing loss and preventable and reversible with hearing aids. Unfortunately, some people with hearing loss are too embarrassed to wear hearing devices and that leads to social isolation and withdrawal and eventually, cognitive decline.

While some people claim that older adults need less sleep, that is not true. Sleep is critically vital to normal brain functioning and has a cleansing effect on the brain. Want to have a better memory? We make memories while awake but when sleeping, the brain kicks into “consolidation” mode and the memories go into permanent storage! While awake, we also produce amyloid beta [AB], which is a normal brain function. Then, during sleep, the brain is “washed,” and the accumulated amyloid is flushed out. Brain studies of patients with Alzheimer’s Disease indicate that when the amyloid accumulates, it forms sticky plaques that disrupt brain functioning and results in cognitive decline. Sleep deprivation in older adults also leads to inattentiveness, impaired concentration, and an increased risk of falling.

Finally, there is a plethora of misinformation out there! An example of false marketing is the product Prevagin. There are no supplements that will “cure” Alzheimer’s Disease and scientists have not yet found the cause.

Dr. Budson’s comprehensive lecture included the relationship between vaccines and dementia, cognitive testing, and caregiver tips. Check back here for that posting! He provided so many details that I want to address those elements of his talk separately, We only get one brain so take care of it!. AgeDoc

 Resources:

Academy for Continued Health Care Learning: https://www.brainhealthmatters.org

Baycrest: https://www.baycrest.org/Podcast/episode-22

Centre for Ageing and Brain Health Innovation: https://www.cabhi.com

Longitude Prize on Dementia: https://dementia.longitudeprize.org

*American spelling = Aging.   British English spelling = Ageing.