subject: Healthy Brain Aging - What You Need to Know [print this page] Healthy Brain Aging - What You Need to Know
If you're like most people, you're concerned about your health as you get older. And that includes healthy brain aging.
You may have noticed your brain seems to be failing you at times. You have those "senior moments" people joke about. You know, the ones where you walk into a room and can't remember why you're there or you spend 15 minutes looking for your glasses when they're on top of your head.
Yeah, those. And do you know what? They're only going to become more frequent unless you do something about it.
The Reality of Your Aging Brain
See, it's not your imagination your brain isn't as sharp as it used to be. There are actually physical changes taking place in there that cause it to fail. Researchers at UCLA, Harvard and other top schools have discovered these 2 reasons.
1-You have a protective coating on your nerves. It's called myelin. It coats your nerves and protects them. When you feel like your nerves are "frayed", well they can actually be so.
See, this myelin wears away as you age. That leaves your nerves exposed and they get damaged easier.
What does this have to do with a healthy aging brain?
Well, as your nerves get damaged, they're not as equipped to send messages through your brain. The myelin is like a new highway with no traffic on a summer day. It's smooth sailing down the road. But as the myelin wears away, you're looking at potholes and bumps in heavy traffic.
2-Your neurotransmitters are failing too. These give your brain fuel so it runs smoothly. They help you concentrate and improve your memory. But you produce fewer of them as you get older.
What You Can Do For Healthy Brain Aging
You're in luck. You can help reverse these changes if you improve your nutrition. Think you already eat right? Doubtful. Unless you eat 2-3 servings of fish a week, you aren't getting enough omega 3 fatty acids. In fact, nutritionists say most Americans are seriously deficient in these fats.
The reason is fish is full of these healthy omega 3 fatty acids. And they're hard to get in the modern diet.
Omega 3 nutrients feed your brain and can slow down your shedding myelin and keep your neurotransmitters firing away.
If you'd like to learn more about how omega 3 fatty acids can help healthy brain aging, please visit my website where I share this important research.
