By: Cecile Kehoe
I’ve been hearing more and more lately about the importance of maintaining cognitive health and I’m sure you’re hearing the same thing. So, it’s probably a good idea to delve into exactly what the term means and why it is getting so much attention today.
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What Is Cognitive Health?
A simple definition of cognitive health is the ability to think clearly, learn new things and then remember what we learn. This could be simple activities like getting dressed in the morning to complex tasks like learning to fly a plane. To do these things we need to be able to focus, concentrate and make decisions in a world where there are increasingly many new stressors and distractions.
Factors That Affect Cognitive Health
Today we have added stresses that we didn’t have a few years ago and stress can have a major negative effect on cognitive health. We are familiar with how stress can affect the physical body and how ingredients called adaptogens can help normalize these negative effects. Stress also does a number on your brain!
I’m sure you have noticed that when you are living through a hectic time, many things slip your mind and you also have a harder time focusing on day-to-day activities. Well, that’s stress for you.
Also, something that none of us can avoid is aging. For those of us that are lucky, we will only see some normal declines in cognitive performance, like speed at which we process information and make decisions, as well as some small memory lapses as we age. There are inevitable changes that happen to the body as we get older and that includes the brain. Blood flow decreases and certain areas of the brain shrink. However, the brain is very adaptable and we can manage around many of these changes.
There are, of course, other things like illnesses and injuries, that are not a normal part of aging and they can cause more severe cognitive decline. These are in the domain of medical professionals and will not be talked about here.
How To Improve Cognitive Health
There are several things we all should be doing to help keep our minds as sharp as we can. First, eat healthy foods such as fruits, vegetables, lean meats and whole grains, and limit sugar, salt and fat. We should also try to maintain an active lifestyle. Exercise regularly. Be social. Take care of any physical issues you may have like high blood pressure, diabetes, etc. Try to limit stress. Practice meditation, yoga, tai-chi and other mindfulness practices.
There are also some remarkable, clinically-studied ingredients that have demonstrated their ability to help you maintain healthy cognitive function throughout your life. Taking advantage of these ingredients as well as the other healthy advice above will give you an edge in the cognitive health arena.
Brain Factor -7 is one of these remarkable ingredients and is the superstar of our Mdrive Brain powder supplement.
References:
- Lee, Sang Hyung, et al. "The improvement of learning and memory ability of normal persons by BF-7™." Korean J Physiol Pharmacol 8 (2004): 307-312
- Kim, D.K., et al. Clinical Trial Report (2004, Chung-Ang University, College of Medicine), “The role of BF-7™ on Enhancement of memory and cognitive function” The Korean j. Anat. (2004) 37(6) pp519-527
- Srivastava, S., Pimple, S., “Effects of Cymbopogon Flexuosus, Alpinia Galanga, and Glycyrrhiza Glabra on Attention: A Randomized Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Pilot Study”, BAOJ Nutrition (2017) 3:1 9 pages
- Srivastava, S., Mennemeeir, M., Pimple, S., “Effect of Alpinia galangal on Mental Alertness and Sustained Attention With or Without Caffeine: A Randomized Placebo-controlled Study”, Journal of the American College of Nutrition (2017) 10 pages
- Srivastava, S., Mennemeeir, M., Chaudhary, J. A., “A Randomized Placebo Controlled Clinical Trial Demonstrating Safety and Efficacy of EnXtra in Healthy Adults”, Journal of the American College of Nutrition (2020) https://doi.org/10.1080/07315724.2020.1753129