Are we all destined to suffer memory loss as we age?

“I’m having a senior moment." Have you heard that expression? It seems we have simply resigned ourselves to the “fact” that as we age our mental ability declines. While, perhaps, we dedicate much time, energy and resources to slowing down the aging process of our bodies; be it through expensive facial creams or multi-vitamins and antioxidants, or through regular exercise and hydration, we seem to have surrendered to the idea that our brains deteriorate but, darn it, we will look fantastic during our dementia. Or, perhaps we try to keep our brain active by doing crossword puzzles or performing new activities or learning new languages. After all, there was the study about how Tango dancing helped Parkinson’s patients and suggested it may help “boost” memory in older individuals. One thing is certain, we are all doing the very best we can to slow down the aging process.

Much has been said about the role of free radicals in aging, but the real culprit is the inflammation these free radicals cause. Dr. Nicholas Perricone, M.D. states in his book 7 Secrets to Beauty, Health and Longevity,  “Free radicals exist for only a nanosecond and therefore do very little direct damage to cellular molecules. However, what they do accomplish, in their very brief life, is the initiation of an inflammatory cascade, which can continue for hours or even days.”  The solution given to the free radical issue are antioxidants. You see a free radical is a molecule that, for whatever reason, has lost an electron (they come in pairs), that’s what makes it “free”. This single electron goes bar hopping, trying to steal another molecules electron to soothe its lonely heart and therefore stirs up inflammation and oxidation. Antioxidants donate an electron to the lonely molecule, and the craziness stops. However, when you consider that we are talking quantities of free radicals like 10 with eighteen zeros following it (10,000,000,000,000,000,000,) consuming enough antioxidants is just not feasible. Keep in mind that the aging you see and feel on your skin and muscles is also occurring to your brain, only without the benefit of collagen creams. Here is where it gets interesting. It turns out that our bodies have a natural solution to the free radicals issue. Detoxification and antioxidant protein is found in the nucleus, called Nfr2, turns on when there are excessive free radicals. In his book Grain Brain, Dr. Pearlmutter lists various compounds that “turn on” Nfr2 production. That include: “curcumin from turmeric, green tea extract, silymarin (milk thistle), bacopa extract, DHA, sulforaphane (contained in broccoli), and ashwagandha” he also mentions that coffee has these compounds both in the raw material and some generated by roasting. Caloric restriction and fasting has also been shown to ramp up Nfr2 production. This gives us some new incentives to include some of those compounds in our diets. After all, we would like to be mentally present to enjoy the well-kept bodies we’ve worked so hard to achieve!