This is the season when we tend to appreciate even more than the rest of the year that the best gift any of us can get is good health, but unfortunately it's not something anybody else can give us.
As I enter middle age (I'm taking a very optimistic view of how long I'll live...) I look for anything that can help ensure that I will be able to keep my mind nimble for as long as possible. I suspect that's a high priority for you as well, and that's why I'm passing along the following:
Tuesday, December 23, 2014. The December 2014 issue of the journal Atherosclerosis revealed an association in older men and women between higher levels of the lipid-soluble antioxidant coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) and a lower risk of developing dementia.
Kazumasa Yamagishi of Japan's University of Tsukuba and colleagues conducted a case-control study of individuals aged 40 to 69 years upon enrollment in the Circulatory Risk in Communities Study between 1984 and 1994. Serum CoQ10 levels were measured in 65 men and women who developed disabling dementia between 1999 and 2004, and in 130 age- and gender-matched control subjects.
An association was observed between higher CoQ10 levels and a decline in the risk of developing dementia. Subjects whose CoQ10 levels were among the highest 25% of participants had a risk of dementia that was 77% less than those whose levels were among the lowest 25%. When the ratio of CoQ10 to total cholesterol was examined, a similar relationship was observed.
"This is the first prospective study to examine the association between CoQ10 and incident dementia in a general setting," the authors announce. They observe that CoQ10 has lowered brain oxidative stress and amyloid plaque in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease, and that rats with damaged areas of the brain experienced a reversal of markers of oxidative damage with CoQ10 supplementation."
CoQ10 supplements are available without a prescription. I'm not a doctor and this post does not constitute medical advice. Before taking supplements, check with your doctor, especially if you are taking medication.
EXERCISE HELPS, TOO
Exercise has also been shown to be associated with a delay in the onset of dementia and Alzheimer's. In one study with 1760 participants over the age of 65, all without cognitive impairment at the start, persons who exercised 3 or more times a week had a 32% reduction in risk for dementia compared with those who exercised fewer than 3 times a week. (Annals Of Internal Medicine, January 17, 2006, Volume 144 Issue 2, pp 73-81.)