How I Keep My Brain Ridiculously Fit
PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, adequate sleep, flavonoids (more about that in a bit), and more. These are essential elements for me to keep my mind sharp. I feel strongly about optimizing my brain health, as I make decisions that can profoundly affect my patients’ lives with cancer.
We begin with physical activity, an essential part of optimizing your health. But did you know that movement also helps to keep your brain sharp? Here are the findings of a study done by the Department of Exercise Science at the University of Georgia (USA):
“As little as twenty minutes of exercise can enhance your memory and your ability to process information.”
Exercise and mood
I also use physical activity for its mood-enhancing effects. After a long bout of aerobic exercise, do you get a runner’s high?” I experience euphoria and a general sense of calm. Not everyone is fortunate enough to get this sense of bliss, however.
I believed that this mood shift had to do with endorphins, morphine-like chemicals in our brain. More recent research points to a different molecule: endocannabinoids.
The endocannabinoid pathway is the same system affected by tetrahydro-cannabinol (THC), the active compound in cannabis. Exercise releases endocannabinoids into the blood.
But wait, there’s more: The antidepressant effects associated with exercise are linked to a drop in stress hormones such as cortisol. Swedish researchers have shown this to be associated with more cell growth in the hippocampus, the brain area responsible for memory and learning.
Physical activity and cognitive performance
I also turn to physical activity to optimize my cognitive performance. One study concluded that submaximal aerobic exercise done for an hour facilitates information processing. On the other hand, I try to avoid dehydration to avoid compromising both information processing and memory.
With exercise, I promote the growth of new connections between cells in critical parts of my brain. University of California, Los Angeles (USA) investigators have shown that exercise increases growth factors in the brain, making it easier for the brain to grow new nerve connections.
Learning a foreign language
I study the Japanese language regularly. While I am by no means bilingual, I want to be. If you look at bilingual individuals who have neurodegeneration, their brains appear damaged, at least on brain scans.
But a bilingual brain can compensate for brain deterioration by using alternate brain connections. This cognitive compensation may be the product of bilingualism promoting the brain’s white and gray matter.
Social interaction
Having close friends can help keep away intellectual decline. My radiation oncology colleague Dr. Taylor and I often volunteer that we would like to continue to serve patients as long as we can, assuming our intellectual capacity remains adequate.
How often have you seen some folks decline after retirement?
Actually…
The title is a bit overstated, but I try to optimize lifestyle for physical and mental health benefits. What I don’t do as well as I would like is to adhere to an optimal diet. For example, there is some research pointing to flavanols as slowing cognitive decline.
I am trying to eat more plates full of colorful foods such as peppers and strawberries, as they contain flavanols. A recent study showed that people who consumed about 600 milligrams (0.02 ounces) of flavonoids daily had a one-fifth lower risk of cognitive decline than those who ate only 150 milligrams (0.005 ounces) per day. My diet leans Mediterranean.
Oh, I don’t smoke. Thank you for joining me today. I hope that you have a joy-filled day.