Cognitive Dysfunction
Will Olive Oil Protect Your Brain?
Scientists have found evidence that extra-virgin olive oil can fight inflammation. Now they believe that it might help protect your brain against cognitive decline or even Alzheimer disease. Epidemiol…
Why You Should Care About Rising Deaths from Alz…
Americans have been getting mixed messages about Alzheimer's disease. Two years ago, headlines proclaimed an: "optimistic trend of declining population dementia risk in high-income countries over the …
To Think Better, Get Your Exercise!
We are often asked about the best way to prevent dementia. Our answer disappoints some people and pleases others: Exercise appears to benefit the brain. Research published this week provides data that…
How to Help Exercise Boost Your Brainpower-Drink…
To get the greatest cognitive benefit from exercise, older folks may want to drink a little beet juice first. That's what investigators concluded, based on a small study of older people with high bl…
Alarming Anticholinergic Load Scrambles Brain
A surprising number of medications can affect the nerve messenger chemical acetylcholine. This compound is crucial for nerves to communicate with each other, so it should not surprise us that limiti…
Are Super Snoozers at Risk for Dementia?
Sleep is crucial for healthy brain function. Too little sleep can make it much harder for people to think clearly the following day. People who sleep less than six hours nightly have impaired judgment…
Can Sweating in the Sauna Help Your Brain?
Isn't it wonderful when an experience that delights you turns out to be good for you as well? Finnish researchers have found that sweating in a sauna, a relaxing and sociable experience for most Fin…
Could You Improve Your Memory with Cocoa Every D…
Would you like to be able to improve your memory, or at least keep it from deteriorating? Many readers would. One wrote to tell us about a possible intervention that is inexpensive and easy: Can Cocoa…
Who Needs Vitamin D and Why?
As people grow older, their ability to absorb nutrients may drop. In addition, many elderly people don't spend much time out in the sunshine. Even if they do, their skin may not make vitamin D efficie…
Did Ginkgo Biloba Keep His Mind Sharp?
Wouldn't you love to know how to keep your mind sharp and your memory intact even as you grow older? Most of us worry about losing our edge. One reader is convinced he has the answer. Indeed he might,…
How to Delay Dementia with Acupuncture
Could acupuncture delay dementia? To find out, Chinese researchers did a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials comparing acupuncture and medical treatment for mild cognitive impairment with fo…
Can You Protect Your Brain with Postmenopausal H…
Hormone replacement therapy is a well-known treatment for the horrible hot flushes and night sweats of menopause. Apparently, women sometimes take postmenopausal hormones not only to ease the symptoms…
How to Boost Your Brain Power with Beverages
If there were a medicine to help you keep your brain functioning well, would you take it? Sadly, we are not aware of any such medication. Beverages That Provide Powerful Polyphenols: There is, however…
Why Should Metformin Users Watch Their Vitamin B…
Vitamin B12 deficiency can lead to cognitive impairment and dementia as well as fatigue and nerve damage. A new study shows that one of the most common diabetes medications, metformin, increases the r…
Low Vitamin D Linked to Cognitive Decline
Low vitamin D levels could be bad for your brain, especially as you age. Who Participated in the Study: Researchers tracked cognitive function and memory in 318 older adults over a time frame of about…
Elders Did Not Boost Brain Power with Exercise
Can older people keep their brains sharp as they age? Two studies published in the Journal of the American Medical Association are disappointing. Neither regular exercise among previously sedentary el…
Common Medicines Throw a Monkey Wrench Into Ment…
Many people fear a diagnosis of Alzheimer's more than cancer or heart disease. That's because we have treatments for the two big killers, but virtually nothing to reverse the inevitable decline of dem…
Trans Fats Are Bad for the Heart and Bad for the…
We've long known that trans fats are bad for the heart, raising LDL cholesterol, lowering HDL cholesterol and increasing the risk for cardiovascular disease. New research shows that trans fats are als…
Mediterranean Diets Benefit Aging Brains
The Mediterranean diet has been shown to stave off stroke, heart disease, diabetes and premature death. Now a further follow-up of participants in Spain's Predimed trial suggests that a Mediterranean …
High-Cacao Chocolate Combats Midday Slump
Have you ever experienced a midday slump? Somewhere between 2:00 and 4:00 pm it can become difficult to concentrate or even to stay awake. Some people go for their second or third cup of coffee to war…
Skinny People May Be More Prone to Dementia as T…
There are risks to being underweight, and one study found that dementia is among them. British researchers had seen hints that heavy people might be at higher risk for dementia. They used a medical …
Study Confirms Chemo Brain Reaction
Cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy have long complained of cognitive problems that make it hard to focus on tasks or remember things. They've dubbed it chemo brain, but clinicians have wondered i…
Cocoa Compounds Boost Brain Function
A recent study offers one possible way to keep cognitive function strong, and it could be tasty. In a study partially funded by the Mars candy company, 37 people between 50 and 69 were provided with d…
CocoaVia in Coffee to Keep Brain Perking
Q. I recently read an article about a physician who is advising people on strategies to avoid developing Alzheimer's disease. Besides cutting sugar and carbs, he advises eating berries and drinking co…
Low Vitamin D Levels in Senior Citizens Are Link…
Low levels of vitamin D in the blood stream have been linked to a variety of chronic health problems including arthritis, diabetes, heart disease, infection, kidney disease, osteoporosis, stroke and c…
Seniors with Low Vitamin D Levels Are at Risk fo…
Low levels of vitamin D in the blood stream have been linked to a variety of chronic health problems including arthritis, diabetes, heart disease, infection, kidney disease, osteoporosis, stroke and c…
Is Your Brain Better with Fish Oil and Vitamin E…
Are you confused about supplements? Over the last few months we have been told by some researchers and medical thought leaders that vitamin E and fish oil were a waste of money and possibly even dange…
Caffeine Boosts Attention and Memory
Caffeine is unquestionably the world's favorite brain stimulant, whether found in coffee, tea or carbonated beverages. According to the Food and Drug Administration, the average American consumes abou…
Are Statins Good or Bad for the Brain?
Q. I just read a news article that says "Statins May Not Harm Memory, Thinking After all." Isn't this worth reporting on The People's Pharmacy website? A. The new study you refer to was published in t…
Taking on New Mental Challenges Helps Seniors St…
There has been a great deal of interest in strategies to stay mentally sharp. A new study suggests that seniors who learn new, mentally challenging skills can improve their cognitive function. The res…
Drug for Overactive Bladder Led to Underactive B…
Q. I took oxybutynin for urinary incontinence several years ago. The mental fuzziness was awful. A friend also taking this drug had similar symptoms but attributed them to aging. I wish there were a s…
Stay Sharp by Staying on the Job?
A study from France suggests that older people may want to consider delaying retirement to keep their brains sharper. Data presented at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference in Boston t…
Diabetes Drug Delays Dementia
The diabetes drug metformin may help reduce the risk of developing dementia. Researchers tracked nearly 15,000 patients with type 2 diabetes who started treatment between 1999 and 2001. The subjects w…
Staying Active Keeps Seniors Sharp
Older people are often urged to stay mentally active with crossword puzzles or other cognitive challenges. They have also been encouraged to exercise physically. A small new study compared the effects…
Mediterranean Diet May Help You Stay Sharp
Perhaps people who want to stay sharp should consider following a Mediterranean-style diet. Scientists at the University of Alabama have analyzed data from approximately 17,000 seniors who have been f…
New Brain Drugs Don’t Deliver on Promise
What happened to all the drug breakthroughs? Whenever Americans complain about the high cost of prescription medicines, they are told that their "investment" in brand name drugs will lead to crucial a…
Exercise, Cheeseburgers and the Brain
Exercise helps to keep the brain working well, at least in rats. The research conducted at the University of Minnesota involved rats learning a maze. Then half the animals got regular low-fat lab chow…
Fish Helps Protect the Brain
Nutrition experts have long recommended at least two servings of cold-water fish each week to help protect against cardiovascular disease. A new study shows that this type of diet has a small but sign…
Exercise Can Prevent Brain Shrinkage
There is growing evidence that exercise is good for the brain. Scottish researchers recruited almost 700 healthy subjects who were born in 1936. When they turned 70, researchers did MRI brain scans on…
Metabolic Risk Linked to Mental Decline
There's one more reason to lose that spare tire: overweight people may be at greater risk for memory problems. French researchers recruited more than 6,000 middle-aged people for a decade-long study. …