As we get older, we tend to suffer memory lapses more. It has almost become a standing joke that it must be age-related when you can’t remember someone’s name.
However, a study found that memory lapses are not just the preserve of the older generation. It seems that 14 per cent of those aged between 18 and 39 are also worried about their recall.
A team at the University of California commissioned a health and lifestyle survey of more than 18,000 people aged between 18 and 99.
When asked about memory problems, 20 per cent agreed that they suffered from an inability to recall. Unsurprisingly, those aged 60 and over were the ones who mostly suffered from memory lapses. However, the researchers were shocked by the high level of issues among the 18- to 39-year-olds.
The researchers concluded that young people could be particularly affected by stress and the memory-sapping effects of multi-tasking. At the same time, the regular use of phones, computers and other electronic gadgets can shorten a person’s attention span. They added that depression, low levels of education, lack of exercise and high blood pressure are also risk factors. The ultimate advice to younger people was to take up regular exercise, keep learning constantly and create new hobbies.
A further tip for younger people to keep their brain cells healthy is to follow a wise, old saying by Hercule Piorot, who said fish is good for the brain. So did my grandmother, and it is true.
Sadly, oily fish is not eaten as widely as we could like, especially by the younger generation. The fatty acids (Omega 3 and 6) help build the connections and neural networks in the brain, say researchers at Oregon Health & Science University and may even play a part in reversing some of the symptoms of autism and attention deficit disorder. The vital ingredient in the omega 3s seems to be docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) , which is an important component in the brain as it supports growth as well as our visual pathways.
This links nicely to the issue of sleep. Eating kippers or other oily fish, or taking omega 3 supplements, could give you an extra one hour’s sleep a night.
Researchers from Oxford University state that there is a link between our levels of omega 3 DHA and melatonin. This is the body’s regulator of sleep and wake cycles. Low levels of omega 3 and 6 seem to be associated with low levels of the hormone.
To test the theory, a group of schoolchildren aged between six and nine were given 600mg of omega 3 supplements every day for 16 weeks and had their sleep patterns monitored.
Young people could be particularly affected by stress and the memory-sapping effects of multi-tasking
At the outset, 40 per cent of the 362 children who were struggling with reading at school also had sleep problems. The children were given omega 3 supplements or a placebo containing soya bean oil.
By the end of the 16 weeks, the children taking the omega 3 supplements were getting an average of 58 minutes’ more sleep per night and had seven fewer waking episodes per night compared with the children taking the placebo.
Linking to supplements in general, a new study has found that patients are far more likely to avoid returning to hospital for further interventions after an operation if they start taking a nutritional supplement the moment they get home.
Patients treated for a heart attack, for example, are 12 per cent less likely to be re-admitted if they take a supplement, while a similar rate is seen in patients with heart failure. Overall, the re-admission rate drops by 8.4 per cent for any patient aged 65 or older who starts taking vitamins.
Patients who were already taking supplements before they were admitted to hospital do better. On average, they spend 1.65 fewer days in hospital than patients who don’t take supplements.
These results are significant. They reduce the strain on hospital resources and can save the health service and hospitals a substantial amount of money. Now, with no link to the above, let’s look at body weight. Our body weight naturally fluctuates depending on the day of the week. According to a study, we are at our lightest at the beginning of the week and slowly lose less weight as the week progresses, until we start gaining weight by the weekend.
Researchers from the VTT Technical Research Centre in Finland made this discovery when they monitored the weight of 80 adults aged 25 to 62 for up to 330 days.
Those who were losing weight had far greater variability between weekends and weekdays, whereas those who were gaining weight only showed a slight difference.
It seems the key to losing weight isn’t how much you gain at the weekends but the amount you can lose during the week. It is important to recognise the trend during the week and if you do overdo it at the weekend, you need to restrict your diet more during the week.
kathryn@maltanet.net