Ayurvedic Herb Bacopa Improves Memory, Cognition and Treats Alzheimer’s Disease

Several recent studies have confirmed what Ayurvedic practitioners have known for thousands of years: That a special Ayurvedic herb increases memory and cognition, and may well treat dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

Med Diet and More Nuts Found to Reduce Cognitive Decline

New research is matching diet with cognition. Two Harvard University studies have now concluded that a Mediterranean Diet and a diet high in nuts will decrease cognitive decline among elderly persons.

Med diet slows cognitive decline

Harvard University researchers followed 16,058 women over the age of 70 years old for six years. Their diets were followed for more than 13 years, as part of the Nurses’ Health Study.

For six of those years, the researchers conducted phone interviews with each four times a year. These tested their cognitive status using the Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status (TICS) test. This tests cognition skills using memory recall, fluency and attention span tests.

The researchers found that those women who ate closest to a Mediterranean diet had significantly better cognitive scores as the women grew older. The differences in their cognitive scores calculated to about one to 1.5 years of aging – meaning the Med diet slowed their aging decline in cognition.

Nuts also slow cognitive decline

Another study by different researchers from Harvard University and Brigham and Women's Hospital confirmed that eating more nuts every day will increase cognitive skills among women.

Using the same Nurses study as a foundation, the researchers followed 16,010 women 70 years old or older. In this study, 15,467 completed the final cognitive interview. And the TICS cognitive skills testing was utilized.

The researchers found those women who consumed at least five servings of nuts per week had higher cognitive scores compared to those who did not consume nuts. (Most nut serving sizes are about one ounce - about a small handful). The average difference in scores was 0.08 units, which is equivalent to two years of cognition decline during the aging process.

They could not correlate cognitive decline with long-term nut consumption, but the association was clear, as concluded by the researchers:

“Higher nut intake may be related to better overall cognition at older ages, and could be an easily-modifiable public health intervention.”

Cognitive link to heart disease

Both nut consumption and the Med diet has been associated with cardiovascular health and mortality in other research.

A study from Harvard that calculated the results of 18 studies that included over 83,000 patients with various metabolic syndrome disorders found in their pooled analysis that nut consumption reduced the risk of ischemic heart disease by 36%, cardiovascular disease by 30%, strokes by 9%, and reduced death from all causes by 15%.

The relationship between the Med diet and cognition was confirmed in a study from the UK’s University of Exeter Medical School. This study reviewed 12 studies, and the researchers concluded that higher adherence to the Med diet was associated with less cognitive decline, better cognitive function and reduced risk of Alzheimer’s disease. They concluded:

“Published studies suggest that greater adherence to Mediterranean diet is associated with slower cognitive decline and lower risk of developing Alzheimer disease.”

Learn about the Ancestor’s Diet

REFERENCES:

Samieri C, Okereke OI, E Devore E, Grodstein F. Long-term adherence to the Mediterranean diet is associated with overall cognitive status, but not cognitive decline, in women. J Nutr. 2013 Apr;143(4):493-9. doi: 10.3945/jn.112.169896.

O'Brien J, Okereke O, Devore E, Rosner B, Breteler M, Grodstein F. Long-term intake of nuts in relation to cognitive function in older women. J Nutr Health Aging. 2014;18(5):496-502. doi: 10.1007/s12603-014-0014-6.

Luo C, Zhang Y, Ding Y, Shan Z, Chen S, Yu M, Hu FB, Liu L. Nut consumption and risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and all-cause mortality: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Am J Clin Nutr. 2014 May 21. pii: ajcn.076109.

Photo by Ian Scott

Rosemary Found to Boost Memory, May Help Prevent Alzheimer’s

Studies over the past few years have shown that Rosmarinus officinalis – the common herb Rosemary and its essential oil - can boost memory and may help prevent Alzheimer’s disease.

The new study, from Miami Children’s Hospital’s Research Institute, studied extracts of Rosemary and Bacopa separately and together using human brain and nerve cells.

They found that each extract inhibited the phosphorylation of tau tangles – which has been linked with Alzheimer’s progression. But the combination of the two produced an even greater inhibitory effect.

This took place by halting the production of amyloid protein which precedes the tau tangle formations.

The researchers stated:

“These results suggest that the extract of Bacopa monnieri + rosemary antioxidant is more neuroprotective than Bacopa monnieri or rosemary antioxidant extract.”

The ability of Bacopa - called Brahmi in Ayurvda - to prevent Alzheimer’s and Alzheimer’s progression - has been reported in other studies.

Rosemary found to improve cognition in other studies

In a study from Maryland’s Tai Sophia Institute, researchers gave 28 elderly adults with an average age of 75 years old either a placebo powder or a rosemary leaf powder of different doses spread with weekly wash-out periods in between.

The subjects were tested using the Cognitive Drug Research computerized assessment system. The doses ranged from 750 milligrams to 6,000 milligrams.

The researchers found that the lowest doses produced a significant improvement in cognitive scores, while the higher doses actually had an impairing effect upon the subjects.

In a study from Japan’s Tottori University medical school, researchers tested 28 elderly people including 17 Alzheimer’s disease patients using aromatherapy.

During a 28 day period preceded and followed by two wash-out period of 28 days, the researchers gave the subjects aromatherapy using rosemary and lemon essential oils in the morning and lavender and orange essential oils in the evening.

The study found a significant increase in cognition scores in the Touch Panel-type Dementia Assessment Scale (TDAS) test. The researchers concluded:

“In conclusion, we found aromatherapy an efficacious non-pharmacological therapy for dementia. Aromatherapy may have some potential for improving cognitive function, especially in AD patients.”

Psychology researchers from the UK’s Lancaster University studied rosemary aromatherapy in a series of experiments that tested environmental context-dependent memory (ECDM). The research found that rosemary provided a “striking ECDM effect.”

Furthermore, researchers from the Human Cognitive Neuroscience Unit at the UK’s University of Northumbria studied 144 healthy volunteers who were divided into three groups. One was given aromatherapy with lavender essential oil. The other was given aromatherapy with rosemary essential oil. The last group was given no aromatherapy.

The researchers conducted Cognitive Drug Research (CDR) testing found that the lavender oil depressed working memory and reaction times. This included memory and attention tasking.

The research found rosemary aromatherapy significantly boosted memory and cognition. The researchers stated that the rosemary aromatherapy:

“…produced a significant enhancement of performance for overall quality of memory and secondary memory factors, but also produced an impairment of speed of memory compared to controls.”

Comment

These studies illustrate that consuming fresh or powdered rosemary at culinary doses can help boost memory – the Tai Sophia Institute study finding that 750 milligram doses had the most therapeutic effect, but not higher. The higher doses had the opposite effect.

Even more promising is the use of rosemary essential oil as aromatherapy, which can boost memory function almost immediately.

REFERENCES:

Ramachandran C, Quirin KW, Escalon E, Melnick SJ. Improved neuroprotective effects by combining Bacopa monnieri and Rosmarinus officinalis supercritical CO2 extracts. J Evid Based Complementary Altern Med. 2014 Apr;19(2):119-27. doi: 10.1177/2156587214524577.

Pengelly A, Snow J, Mills SY, Scholey A, Wesnes K, Butler LR. Short-term study on the effects of rosemary on cognitive function in an elderly population. J Med Food. 2012 Jan;15(1):10-7. doi: 10.1089/jmf.2011.0005.

Jimbo D, Kimura Y, Taniguchi M, Inoue M, Urakami K. Effect of aromatherapy on patients with Alzheimer's disease. Psychogeriatrics. 2009 Dec;9(4):173-9. doi: 10.1111/j.1479-8301.2009.00299.x.

Ball LJ, Shoker J, Miles JN. Odour-based context reinstatement effects with indirect measures of memory: the curious case of rosemary. Br J Psychol. 2010 Nov;101(Pt 4):655-78. doi: 10.1348/000712609X479663.

Moss M, Cook J, Wesnes K, Duckett P. Aromas of rosemary and lavender essential oils differentially affect cognition and mood in healthy adults. Int J Neurosci. 2003 Jan;113(1):15-38.

Does Coconut Oil Really Reverse Alzheimer’s Disease?

The health community has been stirred by reports of coconut oil or middle chain triglycerides (MCT) derived from coconut oil or palm oil being cure-alls for Alzheimer’s disease.