Whilst running through this week’s harvest of medical research I came across a couple of articles on cognition in later life. It seems, (from an article published in JAMA – Journal of the American Medical Association of 5th February) that the best way to better mental clarity as we get older is reasonably simple; eat a healthy diet, exercise for around 150 minutes a week and play cards!
Diet
The article was more specific describing the medeterranean based DASH diet, (see link to a descriptive pdf here: https://www.va.gov/WHOLEHEALTHLIBRARY/docs/The-DASH-Diet.pdf ) as being significant. It improves overall health, reducing blood pressure, lowering blood sugar levels, helping to reduce weight. When above normal limits, excess weight causes mechanical strain on joints. It also increases low level inflammation produced by adipose (fat) tissue.
Alcohol
Alcohol consumption was also taken into account. Conclusions were drawn as to the effect it has on cognitive decline. The more plonk consumed the higher the liklihood decline would occur. As with all things in life moderation seems to be key. This is a link to the NHS view on alcohol: https://www.nhs.uk/better-health/drink-less/
Mental stimulation:
Use it or loose it! The old addage rings true. The JAMA article tells us we should be doing something regularly to challenge ourselves mentally. Specifically they asked if people did any of the following; card games or checkers, read, visited a museum, or did other cognitively stimulating activities. Language learning, just for the sake of it might not be a bad idea; Duolingo is a good place to start if you are interested: https://www.duolingo.com/
Exercise:
There is a concensus over the ammount of time one should exercise every week. Both the American healthcare system and the NHS suggest around 150 minutes or two and a half hours of moderate exercise appears to be about right. This is a link to the NHS guidelines: https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/
If you want to begin exercising or wish to get back but are in pain we can help. Our team of four osteopaths can help get you pain free. This link gets you to our online appointment system: https://osteopathy-works-ltd.au1.cliniko.com/bookings#service
