Your Brain Takes a Beating as You Age. Here’s How to Save Your Memory.

Why do people start to lose their mental sharpness as they get older? One theory is that brain cells start to die without being replaced. Another is that protein tangles associated with Alzheimer’s disease accumulate in the brain and clog neural pathways. But a new scientific paper concludes there is another factor at work: Blood vessel health. Swedish scientists believe the condition of your brain is largely dependent on the blood vessels that serve it. [1] “We suggest a chain of events on how the aging of the brain and blood vessels are related,” said Professor Lars Nyberg. He was a lead author of the article, which was published in the journal Trends in Cognitive Sciences . [2] When we’re young, the force of blood being pushed throughout the body is absorbed by large arteries. But those arteries become stiff over time. With less flexibility, the pressure of each heartbeat is transmitted to smaller blood vessels, including capillaries in the brain. When these tiny veins are damaged, it can harm cognitive processes. Professor Nyberg and his colleagues believe the hippocampus is especially vulnerable. It’s a part of the brain that is important for recalling events. The hippocampus is located close to large blood vessels. If those vessels are stiff, the hippocampus gets hammered. 5 Ways to Increase Nitric Oxide: The Key to Blood Vessel Flexibility Your blood vessels are your brain’s shock absorbers. And one compound is crucial to keeping veins, arteries, and capillaries supple and flexible as you age. It’s nitric oxide. [3] Nitric oxide relaxes the endothelium inside your blood vessels. This is the inner lining that gives blood vessels the healthy ability to expand and contract. A study in the journal Experimental Gerontology found that nitric oxide levels are directly related to memory ability in seniors. […]

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