Rosemary’s reputation for enhancing memory likely stems from its research-proven ability to increase blood flow to the brain, thereby improving concentration.44 Other research proves that rosemary’s reputation as a memory aid is well deserved. Researchers at Poland’s Department of Pharmaceutical Botany and Plant Biotechnology at Poznan University of Medical Sciences found that when rosemary is eaten as part of a regular diet or used as a natural medicine, it has the ability to improve long-term memory in animals. The scientists found that rosemary slowed the degradation of an important brain hormone known as acetylcholine. Acetylcholine is involved in the formation of new memories and the regulation of muscle activity. The researchers propose that rosemary may be valuable for the prevention and treatment of dementia.45
Other research shows that rosemary has anti-inflammatory effects and holds promise as a natural remedy for atherosclerosis—a chronic inflammatory condition that leads to stroke. Based on their positive findings, the scientists anticipate that rosemary has the potential to be developed into a natural anti-atherosclerosis medication or functional food.46
How to Benefit
This pine-like herb does more than spice up a roast of beef; it also offers anti-inflammatory protection to the delicate human brain. Add finely chopped rosemary to bread, buns, or savory baked goods. Rosemary is a delicious addition to chicken, lamb, and beef, as well as to omelets and tomato sauces, although I hope you’ll be cutting back on red meat. It can be pureed with olive oil to make a delicious dipping oil to use on your bread in place of butter. Or you can make rosemary tea: Add 2 teaspoons of dried rosemary needles or a 4-inch sprig of fresh rosemary to boiled water and let it steep for 10 minutes. Strain and drink.
Super Health Bonus
Rosemary can help thinning hair regrow. In the journal Phytotherapy Research, scientists found that applying an extract made of rosemary leaves improved hair regrowth in animals affected by excess amounts of the hormone testosterone. Both men and women can have excess amounts of testosterone, which can cause hair thinning. Scientists found that the rosemary extract appears to block dihydrotestosterone, the active form of testosterone, from binding to androgen receptor sites.47 Research also found that supplementation with a standardized extract of carnosic acid—one of rosemary’s active ingredients—demonstrated the ability to target prostate cancer cells, as opposed to “normal” cells.48 This study suggests the promise of a rosemary-based, all-natural cancer prevention aid.
60-SECOND Brain HEALTH TIP #27:
Regularly Enjoy Tomatoes for a Sharper Memory
Lycopene found in tomatoes significantly cuts stroke risk.
If you’re only enjoying tomatoes as part of an occasional pasta dinner, you might want to expand your tomato repertoire. That’s because more and more research is showing that tomatoes are great for your health, including the health of your brain.
In an important study known as the Nun Study, scientists at the University of Kentucky studied the effects of lycopene, one of the naturally present compounds in tomatoes, on a group of nuns. They found improved physical abilities and sharper memories in those with the highest amounts in their diets.
Lycopene has also been found to reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke. Research shows that the lycopene found in tomatoes, when eaten regularly, can reduce your risk of heart disease by 29 percent. Fresh tomatoes and tomato extracts have been shown in research to lower total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and triglycerides. They have also been shown to prevent clumping in the blood (known as platelet aggregation), which is a risk factor for atherosclerosis and stroke. Additionally, research in the journal Harvard Health Letter found that diets rich in tomatoes can help prevent stroke. The scientists chalk up the results to tomatoes’ rich lycopene content.49
As if that weren’t enough reason to eat more tomatoes, plenty of research shows that lycopene is a powerful antioxidant that helps destroy brain-damaging free radicals. Lycopene even protects your genetic material against damage and the resulting disease.
How to Benefit
Tomatoes are delicious and so versatile. They can be enjoyed in pasta, salads, soups, stews, wraps, curries, and many of your favorite dishes.
Some people claim that tomatoes should be eaten cooked, for maximum nutritional value. But that’s not the full story. While lycopene is best absorbed from cooked tomatoes, vitamin C and the enzymes found in tomatoes are most beneficial if eaten uncooked. So I suggest mixing things up a bit. Relish cooked tomatoes in soups, stews, and curries. Enjoy raw ones in salads, sandwiches, and salsas. Research also shows that the form of lycopene found in yellow and orange tomatoes is better absorbed than that found in red tomatoes. That doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the red ones, but throw some multicolor heirloom tomatoes into the mix, too.
Super Health Bonus
Because tomatoes are also a rich source of the phytonutrients beta-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin, they can help improve vision and protect your eyes from degeneration. And tomatoes’ lycopene content will give your body a boost in the prevention of cancer.
60-SECOND BRAIN HEALTH TIP #28:
Rev Up Your Brain with Resveratrol
Resveratrol, found in grapes, protects brain cells from damage while helping to prevent Alzheimer’s disease.
The compound known as resveratrol, which is found in purple and red grapes, offers this impressive brain protection. Produced by grapevines, resveratrol appears to be the plants’ first line of defense against stress, injury, and infection. Once we eat these delightful fruits, they confer their beneficial healing effects on us.
Research by Dr. Egemen Savaskan at the University of Basel, in Switzerland, found that resveratrol helps protect brain cells from damage from the beta-amyloid plaques linked with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.50 The study found that resveratrol mops up free radicals and protects brain cells from plaque buildup. Dr. Savaskan stresses that his findings suggest that resveratrol may help to protect against Alzheimer’s disease.
Resveratrol also appears to work in other ways to improve brain health. Resveratrol has been found to protect the heart and blood vessels against heart disease and therefore may play a protective role in the prevention of stroke. High doses of resveratrol boost blood flow to the brain and slow the effects of aging. Additionally, resveratrol has also been found to reduce inflammation.51 When it comes to brain health, resveratrol is proving itself invaluable.
How to Benefit
Resveratrol is a naturally occurring substance found in red and purple grapes, grape juice, and red wine. It is a powerful antioxidant that destroys free radicals, seeking them out and eliminating these harmful substances before they can cause damage to your brain. Resveratrol is behind the many articles touting red wine as beneficial for your brain; however, these articles aren’t telling the whole story. The alcohol in red wine (and any other type of wine) kills brain cells, so it is best avoided in any brain health plan and should be drunk in moderation only if there is no history of brain disease in your family. Alcohol should especially be avoided by anyone currently suffering from a brain disease. Instead, get your resveratrol from purple or red grapes and purple grape juice.
Grapes are a delicious addition to a leafy green salad and can be blended with oil and vinegar to make a great salad dressing. You can also add them to grain and meat dishes or chop them with some fresh plums and apples to make a sweet chutney to serve alongside curries or fish dishes.
Resveratrol is also found in lower concentrations in blueberries and raspberries. You can also take supplements to obtain higher doses of resveratrol. The study-proven dose is typically 250 milligrams of resveratrol daily. This amount is almost impossible to obtain from your diet. People already experiencing a serious brain disease may benefit from a higher dose—up to 500 milligrams daily. Of course, if you’re taking any supplement, especially in higher doses, you should check with a doctor familiar with resveratrol first.
Super Health Bonus
Resveratrol h
as also been found to protect against cancer by inhibiting the growth of cancer cells and protecting genetic material from damage.52 So while you’re busy munching on grapes for their brain health benefits, you’re also helping to protect yourself against cancer.
60-SECOND BRAIN HEALTH TIP #29:
Take a Coffee Break to Maximize Your Brain Power
Cut your Alzheimer’s risk with a daily cup of java.
If you’ve been feeling guilty about that cup of java, don’t. When it comes to brain health, research in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that regular coffee consumption lowers your risk of developing Parkinson’s disease. And that’s not all. In a Florida-based study, researchers found that women who drank 3 cups of coffee daily had a reduced risk of Alzheimer’s disease.53
So how does coffee work to prevent brain diseases? According to an animal study, researchers found that caffeine supplementation, combined with moderate swimming, reduced inflammation.54 And further research supports the caffeine–inflammation reduction hypothesis. A study at the University of Illinois found that caffeine may block brain inflammation linked with brain diseases.55
How to Benefit
You might think that benefiting from coffee consumption is fairly obvious. After all, most North Americans drink coffee, so it should be straightforward. But not everyone should drink coffee. Ditch the coffee (and caffeine in general) if you are pregnant or nursing. There’s controversy over caffeine consumption during pregnancy, so staying away from the java while pregnant may be a good idea. In a study of children born to pregnant women who ingested caffeine, the caffeine-exposed babies had signs of impaired growth, including low birth weight.56
Pregnant and nursing women aren’t the only ones who should stay clear of coffee. Women at risk of diabetes, you might also want to skip the coffee.57 Scientists studying the way caffeine affects people made an interesting discovery: Higher caffeine consumption was associated with a decreased risk of diabetes in men but an increased risk in women.58
How much coffee or caffeine is too much? Everyone is different and has a different caffeine tolerance. One person’s perfect amount is another person’s nerve-rattling, hand-shaking, can’t-sleep-at-night amount. What’s right for you depends on many factors, including whether you metabolize caffeine slowly (it stays in your system longer), whether you’re on medications that slow your rate of caffeine metabolism (such as the birth control pill, which tends to double your jolt), and whether you suffer from a nervous system disorder or insomnia. So pay attention to your body and cut back if you have trouble sleeping or feel shaky or irritable.
So exactly how much caffeine are you getting? The average person consumes 300 milligrams (mg) of caffeine, which most doctors consider moderate consumption. Anything above 300 mg daily is considered excessive. Keep in mind that every cup of coffee and tea contains a different amount of caffeine. Starbucks coffee, for example, tends to contain about 20 mg of caffeine per ounce, so a 16-ounce coffee provides 320 mg, which is more than the average daily amount, while another coffee company’s product is likely to have less than that.59 You might also be inclined to think that decaffeinated coffee is free of caffeine, but that’s just not the case. Decaf coffee still contains some caffeine. It is simply caffeinated coffee that is processed to remove a large percentage of the caffeine.
On its own, coffee is packed with health-giving antioxidants, but it’s rarely the health drink it could be, thanks to the ways most people customize it. The same is true for tea. There are many ways you can help ensure that your coffee habit is a healthy one. Here are eight simple ways to make your coffee (or tea) a brain-healthy and planet-friendly option.
1.Choose organic coffee or tea. Both crops tend to be heavily sprayed with pesticides (sometimes ones that are banned in North America but legal in the countries where these crops are grown), so you may be getting more than just coffee or tea when you select anything but organic.
2.Choose fair trade for a healthy conscience. Coffee is big business. According to the United Nations, it is the second most widely traded commodity (after oil). As such, its growth and harvesting are subjected to a wide variety of exploitive labor conditions, including child labor, in some countries.60
3.Skip the sugar. Or if you must have it, select a sweetener such as organic coconut sugar, which has fewer grams of sugar (3 grams) than white or brown sugar (4 grams). It doesn’t sound like a big difference, but over time that means you’ll have cut your sugar consumption by 25 percent with almost no effort. Coconut sugar contains chromium and other natural minerals that aid sugar metabolism in your body. Better yet, use the natural herb stevia, which contains no sugar and is a brain-healthy option. (See 60-Second Brain Health Tip #1 for more information about stevia.)
4.Pass on the flavored syrups. Most are made with high fructose corn syrup, which has been linked to weight gain and obesity. They also contain artificial flavors and preservatives, such as potassium sorbate and sodium benzoate. Potassium sorbate has been shown in human studies to be both genotoxic and mutagenic.61 That means it damages genetic material and can cause mutations linked to disease. Sodium benzoate converts to the carcinogen benzene in your body.
5.Say sayonara to sugar-free syrups and artificial sweeteners. If you’re thinking that you’re safe because you only use sugar-free syrups and artificial sweeteners, think again. Not only do these syrups usually contain the above-mentioned preservatives, but they also typically contain one of the following synthetic sweeteners: Splenda, Sweet’N Low, or AminoSweet. Contrary to claims that Splenda is a sugar substitute suitable for weight loss, it (sucralose) was shown by Duke University scientists to increase body weight, be absorbed by fat cells, and reduce beneficial intestinal flora by 50 percent, which further contributes to inflammatory illnesses—including brain diseases. Sweet’NLow (saccharin) is a coal tar derivative that has been linked to breathing difficulties, headaches, skin eruptions, and diarrhea. AminoSweet (the new name for aspartame) has been linked to an enormous list of health conditions, including brain tumors, depression, headaches and migraines, joint pain, chronic fatigue, and more.
6.Skip the whip. Adding whipped cream to your coffee adds about 100 calories to each drink. That’s an extra 36,500 calories a year if you only drink one a day. And you may recall our earlier discussion about dairy products and the negative impact they can have on your brain and overall health.
7.Pick milk alternatives over cow’s milk. If you’re going to add milk to your coffee, it’s best to pick almond, rice, or organic soy (other soy is genetically modified) milk. Cow’s milk is not the health food the dairy bureaus would have us believe it is.
8.Definitely skip the coffee whitener. It is made from corn syrup solids, which are almost always genetically modified and which typically contain brain-damaging trans fats. The companies that make them are not required to report the trans fats because the serving size is so small, but it adds up to a lot of trans fats when you drink this stuff a few times a day, every day.
Super Health Bonus
Coffee consumption may help protect against cancer. Women who drank 4 cups of coffee daily had a 25 percent reduction in endometrial cancer.62 In another study, mice fed caffeine developed 27 percent fewer skin cancer growths after UV exposure. Combining the caffeine with exercise resulted in a 62 percent reduction in tumors.63 The researchers believe the results will translate to people, as well.
60-SECOND BRAIN HEALTH TIP #30:
Take a Pit Stop on the Road to Brain Health
Apricots, peaches, cherries, and plums protect both the watery and fatty parts of your brain from damage.
Take a pit stop for brain health—by eating fruits with pits, that is. Research shows that fruits that contain pits are among those with the highest concentrations of nutritional compounds called flavonoids, which protect and heal your brain. That includes apricots, peaches, cherries, and plums.
Fruits that are blue, red, or purple contain a special group of flavonoids called p
roanthocyanidins, which protect both the watery and fatty parts of your brain against free radical damage. They seem to stop free radicals in their tracks, making these foods especially valuable in the prevention of brain disease. Plums and cherries are among the foods with the highest concentrations of these potent antioxidants. To learn more about cherries, see 60-Second Brain Health Tip #12.
How to Benefit
Eat at least one pit-containing fruit every day. In addition to fresh apricots, peaches, cherries, and plums, you can enjoy dried fruits that once contained pits to take advantage of the many brain-healing flavonoids they contain. These include dried apricots, prunes, cherries, and peaches. If you’re eating dried fruits, be sure they are sulfite-free and unsweetened. Many dried fruits are pretreated with sugar and sulfites, neither of which is good for your brain. Dried fruits that lack both sugar and sulfites are often slightly browner than their chemically treated counterparts. Don’t worry about the color; these fruits are nutritionally superior and better for your brain.
Super Health Bonus
In addition to protecting your brain against inflammation and disease, proanthocyanidin-rich fruits such as plums, prunes, and cherries reduce other effects of aging and inflammation while also helping with weight loss in those who are overweight. You may notice an improvement in your allergies, too, since they contain a protein with anti-allergic effects. Peaches and apricots are also high in alpha- and beta-carotenes, which boost your immunity and protect your eyesight.
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