A new poll has found that a healthy diet and lifestyle can boost memory across all adult age groups.
Past studies have shown various benefits that healthy eating and lifestyle habits have on a person's health. A new poll now shows that a healthy lifestyle can also be very beneficial for a person's memory.
The poll, which was conducted by UCLA researchers and the Gallup organization on 18,552 U.S. adults aged 18 and above, found that eating healthy, not smoking and regular exercises,increases a person's memory.
Researchers also found that people who indulged in even one healthy habit from the list mentioned above had a 21 percent boost in their memory compared to people who did not follow even one healthy lifestyle choice.
Researchers were also surprised to find that 14 percent of the youngest adult group (aged 18 to 39) complained about memory problems. As expected, 22 percent of the middle-aged adult group (aged 40 to 59) and 26 percent of older adults (60 and above) complained about memory issues.
"Memory issues were to be expected in the middle-aged and older groups, but not in younger people," said the study's lead author, Gary Small, director of the UCLA Longevity Center.
According to Small, there is a difference in the memory problems suffered by young adults and older adults. While age is the cause of older adults' memory problems, factors like stress and unhealthy lifestyle cause younger adults to have memory issues.
"Along with the other healthy behaviors, it's likely that healthy eating is helping keep the heart and blood vessels healthy," says Mary Ann Johnson, national spokeswoman for the not-for-profit American Society for Nutrition. "The brain needs a healthy blood supply to function. We think of losing one's memory as late in life, but it is a very long process that has been playing out over decades."
Neil Levin, spokesman for the not-for-profit American Nutrition Association, says, "The earlier signs of people's memory starting to decline in younger years are not necessarily associated with Alzheimer's. A lot of young people tend to feel either they are invulnerable or they are not going to live a long time so they might engage in riskier behaviors in terms of diet, smoking and lack of exercise that would affect them long-term."
The findings are published in the June issue of the journal International Psychogeriatrics.
source: hngn
Past studies have shown various benefits that healthy eating and lifestyle habits have on a person's health. A new poll now shows that a healthy lifestyle can also be very beneficial for a person's memory.
The poll, which was conducted by UCLA researchers and the Gallup organization on 18,552 U.S. adults aged 18 and above, found that eating healthy, not smoking and regular exercises,increases a person's memory.
Researchers also found that people who indulged in even one healthy habit from the list mentioned above had a 21 percent boost in their memory compared to people who did not follow even one healthy lifestyle choice.
Researchers were also surprised to find that 14 percent of the youngest adult group (aged 18 to 39) complained about memory problems. As expected, 22 percent of the middle-aged adult group (aged 40 to 59) and 26 percent of older adults (60 and above) complained about memory issues.
"Memory issues were to be expected in the middle-aged and older groups, but not in younger people," said the study's lead author, Gary Small, director of the UCLA Longevity Center.
According to Small, there is a difference in the memory problems suffered by young adults and older adults. While age is the cause of older adults' memory problems, factors like stress and unhealthy lifestyle cause younger adults to have memory issues.
"Along with the other healthy behaviors, it's likely that healthy eating is helping keep the heart and blood vessels healthy," says Mary Ann Johnson, national spokeswoman for the not-for-profit American Society for Nutrition. "The brain needs a healthy blood supply to function. We think of losing one's memory as late in life, but it is a very long process that has been playing out over decades."
Neil Levin, spokesman for the not-for-profit American Nutrition Association, says, "The earlier signs of people's memory starting to decline in younger years are not necessarily associated with Alzheimer's. A lot of young people tend to feel either they are invulnerable or they are not going to live a long time so they might engage in riskier behaviors in terms of diet, smoking and lack of exercise that would affect them long-term."
The findings are published in the June issue of the journal International Psychogeriatrics.
source: hngn
