Financial capacity has emerged as a key activity of daily living in understanding functional impairment and decline in patients with MCI and dementia. A new research study conducted by the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Alzheimer’s Disease Center has linked the decline in this activity as a possible indicator of impending Alzheimer’s disease. Read about it here.

Diabetes slows down memory loss in people with Alzheimer’s disease! Researchers conducted a 4-year study on 608 subjects with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease, out of which 63 people also had diabetes. Their memory and thinking skills were tested regularly. Those with diabetes turned out to have a slower rate of memory decline than those who “only” suffered from Alzheimer’s disease. The reason for this is not completely clear yet. It could, however, be the result of the cardiovascular medication elderly diabetics are taking, which studies have shown to reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease as well as the rate of cognitive decline. Read more about it here.

A new study suggests that the ability to perceive relationships between objects (visual spatial skills) may decline up to 3 years before a person is formally diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.  Read more in this Health Day article

Nobel Prize winner for physics Charles Kao Kuen said he finds communication hard because of Alzheimer’s disease. In an interview with KTSF 26, a Chinese-language TV station serving Northern California, Kao, 75, said he sometimes finds it difficult to talk…… more

Yesterday the New York Times reported on a study commissioned by the National Football League. The findings were a big concern for NFL players.  It seems Alzheimer’s disease or similar memory-related diseases appear to have been diagnosed in the league’s former players vastly more often than in the national population — including a rate of 19 times the normal rate for men ages 30 through 49! Read more here…..

In addition to good nutrition and regular exercise, researchers recommend that seniors also keep their minds active. According to a National Institute on Aging four year study, keeping the brain actively stimulated across a variety of areas reduces the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Read more here….

Scientific American posted an interesting article that proposed to put a predictive time line on the development of Alzheimer’s disease. Read about it here.

Whether it’s decision making, judgment, basic math, memory loss  or other brain function, it is increasingly important to stimulate all these cognitive capabilities on a regular basis. One is rarely used in isolation. Cognitive cross training programs can help at the early stages of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease or in advance of cognitive decline.

Alzheimer’s disease is the elephant in the room that is not effectively being planned for or dealt with by the Government or the Health Care industry. Consider just a few stats - By 2050, 115M people will be afflicted with the disease primarily due to the simple fact of living longer than earlier generations.  The cost to Medicare and Medicaid is expected to be approx. $30 Trillion (yes that’s a T folks), which makes the current economic crisis and health care reform topics pale by comparative scale.  Further, the availability of research funds for the study of Alzheimer’s disease, related treatment, and preventative therapies is significantly smaller than the funds that are channeled towards cancer and heart disease today.

One glimmer of sunshine may be the recent Alzheimer’s Breakthrough Act that doubles the available funds for Alzheimer’s research at the National Institutes of Health. This is expected to save $61B of annual cost for Medicare and Medicaid within five years of a breakthrough. You can easily do the math and realize it’s a drop in the bucket on the expected financial toll the disease will take on us all.

Read about some of awareness that has been raised at this week’s World Alzheimer’s Day. Join the fight!

Today - World Alzheimer’s Day, September 21, is a day when the Alzheimer’s Association and other organizations around the globe unite  efforts to raise awareness about the disease and its impact on our families, communities and nations. World Alzheimer’s Day was first launched on September 21, 1994 by ADI.  The fact that 35M people today are living with Alzheimer’s Disease (a 10% increase in just the last 4 years!) should be cause for alarm and, more importantly, cause for action on the part of our health care and health insurance industry leadership, our government elected officials and all of us as individuals. You can read more about Alzheimer’s disease facts and figures and how you can get involved to make a difference in the fight here

The Alzheimer’s Association organizes  Memory Walks across the country to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer’s research and education. It a great way to join others, get exercise,  and walk for the cause. Learn more  Here.

Of course, there are many excellent types of food and ingredients for your brain. But which ones are totally natural and easily available?

Let’s cover  five of the brain healthiest foods, starting with… wild salmon! We all know the benefits of salmon, especially wild as opposed to farm-raised salmon. It is a great source of essential fatty acids like omega-3 and is low in saturated fat. It can help you improve your mood, your brain matter, your synaptic connections, your arteries and reduce your risk of stroke and dementia.

At number 2, … Cacao beans! No, sorry, we didn’t say chocolate, just minimally processed cacao beans which can be found in 100% organic non-alkalized cocoa powder or high cacao percentage dark chocolate bars with at least 75% cacao content or even better: 85% and more. Cacao beans help you shape up your brain power, greatly improve your mood and generally make you feel happy!

Now, ever heard of Matcha? Well, if you haven’t, it is a type of finely-powdered Gyokuru green tea, which has absolutely nothing to do with your supermarket tea bags! Drinking Matcha is like consuming the green tea leaf itself and all its health benefits: antioxidants, catechins, vitamins, Fluoride and L-Theanine.

Also discover the acai berry and all the health benefits of blueberries a.k.a. the brain berry! The acai is a South American berry that is high in protein, contains essential fatty acids, antioxidants, vitamins and is generally highly benefiting for the brain!

Last but not least… coffee beans! You may have read that coffee has been shown to reduce the risk of mental decline and diseases like dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Coffee beans are very rich with antioxidants, amino acids, vitamins and minerals and freshly-ground roasted coffee bean powder has many brain and body health benefits. Just like cacao beans, however, coffee is best consumed in a pure form like pure espresso.

That’s the brain food roundup for today. Eat well and keep up with your brain workouts!

Source: Brain Ready.com