7 Ways to Slow Down Aging

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7 Ways to Slow Down Aging

 

http://www.stopagingnow.com/newsletters/1517#a1520

 

 

Here's advice on retarding the aging process and staying healthy

longer from research presented at the American Aging Association

annual meeting in June in Oakland, California.

 

 

Berries for Brain Cells

 

Eat blueberries, cranberries, and drink purple Concord grape juice to

help keep elderly brains frisky, and improve motor behavior,

including physical balance and coordination. And always go first to

the produce section of the supermarket—stay away from processed

foods. How much? A cup of berries, a cup of grape juice and all the

other fruits and vegegtables you can pack in—especially brightly

colored ones.—James Joseph, Ph.D.,Tufts.

 

 

Blue-Green Algae is Back

 

Try spirulina—that's blue-green algae. Dr. Bickford did, liked how

she felt and tested it on rats. She says it's a more potent

antioxidant than blueberries. In rats fed spirulina, stroke damage

was much less extensive and severe. The algae somehow protected brain

cells. At one time spirulina was regarded unsafe; not so today, says

Bickford. You can get it on line and in health food stores. The brand

she tested: Earthwise—Paula Bickford, Ph.D., University of South

Florida.

 

 

Don't Skin Almonds

 

Eat lots of almonds with their brown skins intact. When almonds are

blanched to remove their skins, they lose up to 80 percent of their

antioxidants. Nut power is concentrated in the skins. People who ate

almond skins showed higher blood levels of antioxidants and increased

protection against " oxidation, " a factor that promotes heart

disease. — Jeffrey Blumberg, Ph.D., Tufts University.

 

 

Tale E Plus CoQ10

 

Mix your antioxidants. They are more powerful together than alone.

Giving vitamin E to young mice throughout their lifetime or after

they were old did not delay or improve cognitive functions. However,

feeding coenzyme Q10 and vitamin E simultaneously to old mice

improved memory and learning to a " remarkable " degree. The two

antioxidants work synergistically to zap free radical damage,

possibly preventing or reversing cognitive decline. Combining vitamin

E, C, alpha lipoic acid and coenyzme Q10 may form a more potent

network of protection, say other experts.—Michael Forster, Ph.D.,

University of North Texas Health Science Center.

 

 

When No-Fat is No Good

 

Skip fat-free salad dressings. You need fat to absorb the health-

promoting carotenoids, (lycopene, lutein and beta carotene) in

vegetables, such as tomatoes, carrots and spinach. In tests, eating a

salad with no-fat dressing resulted in virtually no absorption of

carotenoids. A low-fat dressing was better, but not as good as full-

fat olive oil. Another solution: add fatty avocado to salads; its fat

doubled the uptake of lycopene from tomatoes. —Steven J Schwartz,

Ph.D. Ohio State University.

 

 

What to Drink?

 

Drink green tea and red wine, if you drink alcohol. Both may help

protect brain cells against age-related damage and Alzheimer's. Green

tea is rich in flavanols, mainly EGCG, and red wine contains

resveratrol. In tests on brain cells of rats, both EGCG and

resveratrol helped block toxicity induced by a protein called beta

amyloid. Deposits of beta amyloid muck up brain functioning and are a

major sign of Alzheimer's. Resveratrol has been found in most red

wines, and is particularly high in pinot noir. —Stephane Bastianetto,

Ph.D., Douglas Hospital Research Centre, Quebec.

 

 

Magic in Fish Curry

 

Eat the curry spice turmeric. It's packed with a yellow pigment

curcumin, found to have strong antioxidant, anticancer and

antiinflammatory activity, while being notably nontoxic. Feeding mice

curcumin produced improvements in cognitive functions, and reduced

accumulation of toxic beta amyloid in brain cells. Adding DHA, a

component of fish oil, to mice chow did the same thing. More

exciting, combining curcumin and DHA had a more powerful

(synergistic) effect in reversing brain and cognitive deficits than

expected. Researchers theorize that both curcumin and fish oil help

prevent onset of Alzheimer's.—Gregory M. Cole, UCLA.