Seven Lifestyle Factors Reduce the Risk for Alzheimer's
"Together, the seven potentially modifiable risk factors contributed to roughly 50 percent of Alzheimer's cases worldwide." So says a press release from the Alzheimer's Association International Conference (AAIC), the world's largest conference of its kind. The report from the conference suggests that reducing lifestyle-based chronic disease risk factors by 25 percent could potentially prevent 3 million cases of Alzheimer's worldwide. What are the seven factors? Low education. Smoking. Physical inactivity. Depression. Mid-life hypertension. Mid-life obesity. Diabetes.
Participants in the Super Noggin brain fitness program improve their health and happiness as they make changes in ten important lifestyle areas.
How Super Noggin Can Help With Weight Loss
Excess weight is a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease. A study posted in Nutrition and Weight Control on September 7, 2011 reported that people who kept a food diary nearly doubled their weight loss compared to people who did not keep a record of everything they ate. In the Super Noggin Notebook, participants track their daily intake of fruits and vegetables. Developing mindful eating patterns is another example of "What's good for the body is good for the brain." Source: Johns Hopkins University Health Alert, September 7, 2011
A number of health newsletters have reported the findings of a German study of the effect of urban life on our brains. The study found that anxiety and mood disorders are much higher in people who live or were raised in cities than in rural populations. Researchers were at a loss to explain why the brain responds to stress differently among urban and rural dwellers.
Source: Journal Watch Vol. 31 No. 15, from the publishers of The New England Journal of Medicine.
Super Noggin classes include stress reduction techniques to overcome the stress of modern living, wherever you happen to live.
Certified Super Noggin Instructors (CSNIs):
We've added a new section for you at the Extranet on our website: cognitively stimulating Activities to enjoy at your Celebration meetings.
www.SuperNoggin.org/extranet
Getting Enough Vitamin D?
Older adults often do not get enough Vitamin D. The current Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend 1,000 IU for people with darker skin, older adults, and those who  don't get sunlight on a daily basis (pay attention if you live in northern climates). Your doctor can give you a blood test to see if your levels are adequate and recommend a supplement dose. Source: Johns Hopkins Health Alerts, July 6, 2011.
Vitamin D is found in salmon, pure cod liver oil and other fish oils, and is activated by sunshine.
 Want a healthy glow without unhealthy sun tanning? Eating fruits and vegetables containing carotenoids gives color to your skin. So eating those carrots can make your skin golden, in addition to their many other benefits. Source: AARP magazine
Socializing Adds to Our Health
 According to the head of psychiatry at Stanford University, "There's a tendency to think that when we are...hanging out with our friends, we are wasting our time and should be more productively engaged - in fact, failure to create and maintain quality personal relationships with other humans is as dangerous to our physical health as smoking!"Source: email from a student in the class. Cultivating friendships is good for body and mind. That's why Super Noggin specializes in group classes for brain fitness. Super Noggin goes even further, with "celebrations" that emphasize social interaction. We at Super Noggin feel that staying socially connected is so important to brain health that we list it as one of our 10 Steps to Brain Fitness. Attention! Occupational Therapists, Activity Professionals, Social Workers, Wellness Directors, -- anyone who works with the elderly in an institutional setting: Providing adequate mental stimulation for your clients is one of the most important things you do for them, especially as lack of stimulation can lead to cognitive decline. That's why the Super Noggin program includes a socially-based brain fitness meeting every week and a personal daily tracking chart to keep participants engaged in brain-healthy activities every day. Don't let your clients give up on toning their "mental muscles." Our brains can grow new brain cells as long as we're alive. Contact Super Noggin to learn how you can get a Super Noggin program started in your community. Call our toll free number 866.937.0999 extension 5 or email info@SuperNoggin.org.
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