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Boost Your Memory and Brain Power with Berries and Other Superfoods

How is your thinking and memory skill?

We are living in an age of super size fast foods loaded with unhealthy calories. But we have a choice. We can choose to eat “superfoods” which are low in calories, fat free and good source of vitamins and fibre. These foods also contain antioxidants which protect our cells from damage.

Superfoods have anti-aging, anti-cancer and heart health benefits. They can slow the aging process of the brain and people who ate a diet high in superfoods were 38 per cent less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease compared to those who did not. The incidence of dementia and Parkinson’s disease is also decreased. Superfoods also activate the brain’s house-cleaning process.

As we get older, there is cognitive decline. That means there is a subtle decrease in memory and thinking process. This is a normal aging process. One study showed that people who ate more than two vegetable servings each day had a 40 per cent slower rate of cognitive decline compared with their peers who ate less than one serving.

Individuals who regularly consumed wine, tea and chocolate lowered their risk of a poor cognitive score by 70 per cent, says an article in the Scientific American Mind (Jan/Feb 2011). Studies have linked regular fish consumption to a 60 per cent lower risk of dementia, in particular Alzheimer’s dementia.

These numbers are just amazing. We can all do without those recurring memory lapses. Hopefully, we can stop asking, “Have I got Alzheimer’s?”

So, what are these superfoods?

Here are some examples: berries (strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, cranberries), walnuts, leafy greens, fish, heart healthy fats (olive oil, canola oil, flaxseed oil and non-hydrogenated margarine), avocado, almonds, other fruits and vegetables, cereal grains, cocoa, soy foods, tea and wine.

In 2008, per capita blueberry consumptions in the U.S. reached an all-time high, from 9.2 ounces in 2007 to 12.3 ounces. Americans, apparently, cannot get enough of this delicious juicy fruit. When berries are out of season, you can eat frozen and dried berries. One serving is equivalent to ½ cup of fresh or frozen berries or ¼ cup of dried ones.

The superfoods contain flavonoids. New research shows that flavonoids work as antioxidants that protect the cells from damage from unstable oxygen molecules known as free radicals and boost our cognitive function by its interaction with protein present in the brain cells. There are more than 6000 different flavonoids which come in variety of types. Flavonoids are widely distributed in the list of foods mentioned earlier.

Free radicals are released in our bodies during metabolism. The situation is made worse by pollution, cigarette smoke and radiation. Free radicals can damage cells and break apart DNA. Antioxidants neutralize free radicals and limit the damage done to our cells.

So, if you want to improve your memory and thinking skills then get cracking with the superfoods.

Ok honey, where did I leave my car keys?

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Case 3 – Lipoma

(Clinical photos at the bottom of the article)

1. A lipoma is a growth of fat cells in a thin, fibrous capsule usually found just below the skin. It grows very slowly. Lipomas are the most common noncancerous soft tissue growths.

2. Lipomas are found almost anywhere in the body in both sexes.

3. One or more lipomas may be present at the same time. Some people have multiple lipomas. I have one patient whose body is covered with lipomas (see picture below). Multiple lipomas occur more frequently in men.

4. The cause of lipomas is not completely understood, but the tendency to develop them is inherited.

5. Being overweight does not cause lipomas.

6. Lipomas can occur at any age, but they’re most often detected during middle age.

7. A lipoma isn’t cancer and is usually harmless.

8. If the lipoma is in a location that bothers you, is painful or is growing, you may want to have it removed.

9. There is no known treatment to prevent lipomas.

10. A lipoma can usually be diagnosed by its appearance alone, but your doctor may want to remove it to make sure the growth is noncancerous. Often the most bothersome symptom is the location or increased size that makes the lipoma noticeable by others.

Case 3, Image 1

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101 on Radiation Injury and the Risk of Cancer

Do you think we are totally screwed? Almost every day there is a disaster somewhere on this planet. People are left injured, homeless or dead. But some of us are lucky to be alive and well…sort of…considering the miserable weather and the potholes we always complain about.

What is happening to Japan’s nuclear reactors is scary. Then we have experts who remind us of Chernobyl, Three Mile Island, Hiroshima and Nagasaki. As part of my research for this article, I thought I will find out more about these places where nuclear disasters have occurred.

The list is long. And the list has only reported the proximate confirmed human deaths and has not detailed ecological, environmental or long term effects such as birth defects or permanent loss of habitable land. That tells me that most of us are totally ignorant of the amount of radiation damage being inflicted on us by these nuclear reactors.

These nuclear reactors are also a great source of energy and provide us with many comforts which we take for granted. Radiation is a form of energy that is present all around us. Different types of radiation exist, some of which have more energy than others.

There are two types of radiation energy:

-Non-Ionizing radiation is low-frequency radiation that does not have enough energy to remove electrons or directly damage DNA. Low-energy UV rays, visible light, infrared rays, microwaves and radio waves are all forms of non-ionizing radiation.

-Ionizing radiation has enough energy to damage the DNA in cells, which in turn may lead to cancer. Gamma rays, x-rays, some high-energy UV rays, and some sub-atomic particles such as alpha particles and protons are forms of ionizing radiation. In general, radiation is a word used for ionizing radiation.  

Due to an accident, natural disaster or by an act of terrorism the nuclear reactors are disrupted leading to environmental radioactive contamination and radiation exposure.  Such a release exposes people and contaminates their surroundings and personal property. That is serious stuff. Our body can absorb small amount of radiation but severe exposure is harmful.

One aspect of radiation exposure we often forget is the low-dose ionizing radiation from the x-ray departments when we are sent there for various kinds of investigations. A recent paper in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (Mar 8, 2011) reported a study involving 82, 861 patients, 77 per cent of them had undergone at least one cardiac x-ray or treatment procedure involving low-dose ionizing radiation in the first year after a heart attack.

Patients included in the study had no history of cancer. In a 10-year follow-up, a total of 12, 020 incident cancers were diagnosed. Risk of cancer was dose dependent and had a cumulative effect.  

Let me not scare you. Exposure to ionizing radiation from a single x-ray test does not pose a substantial risk to individual patients. But numerous tests can result in a cumulative exposure that represents a substantial risk to the patient. And remember, we do not have any mechanism to track cumulative doses of radiation in individual patients.

Currently, we have no way of knowing how much danger we face from what is happening in Japan. That does not mean we should not worry about it. But we should also worry about the radiation exposure from the sun, x-ray machines, cell-phones and other devices.

Start reading the preview of my book A Doctor's Journey for free on Amazon. Available on Kindle for $2.99!