Age related memory loss-Can it be reversed?

Who does not like to be alert and enjoy unfettered memory even during old age? It is a dream every old person cherishes because of the frustrating days when memory loss affects practically every activity associated with normal living. Dementia and Alzheimer's are dreaded words in the dictionary of old people but with progressive aging, decreased brain activity controlling the memory process cannot be avoided altogether though different people have different rate of memory deterioration. If recent scientific studies are taken into reckoning there is hope for those afflicted by memory loss by consuming plant flavanols especially those present in natural cocoa. This development may have lot of implications for geriatric population but there are several riders for using flavanol therapy for improved memory. Here is a take on this issue and read what the scientists say about this phenomenon.

"Do you forget where you left your keys or parked the car, or have difficulty remembering the names of people you've just met? The good news is that chocolate – or more specifically, naturally occurring compounds in cocoa called flavanols – can reverse age-related memory decline in healthy older adults, according to a Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) study. As we get older, most of us will experience some issues with memory. These changes start in early adulthood but aren't usually noticeable until we reach our fifties or sixties. Flavanols are a subgroup of flavanoids, compounds that provide a range of health benefits. They are also found naturally in tea leaves, red wine and some fruits and vegetables. In the CUMC study, participants who had a high-flavanol diet for three months performed significantly better on a 20-minute pattern recognition memory test than participants on a low-flavanol diet. FMRI brain imaging showed that participants on the high-flavanol diet exhibited noticeable improvements in memory in the part of the brain associated with normal age related memory decline, the dentate gyrus. This is a different part of the hippocampus to that affected by early stage Alzheimer's disease, the entorhinal cortex. "If a participant had the memory of a typical 60-year-old at the beginning of the study, after three months that person on average had the memory of a typical 30- or 40-year-old," says the study's senior author Dr Scott Small. The study, published in Nature Neuroscience, provides the first direct evidence that this natural process of ageing, caused by changes in a specific region of the brain, can be improved by diet – and may avoid the need for pharmaceutical intervention. Despite the positive findings, the researchers caution against increasing chocolate consumption. While cocoa flavanols are abundant in the cacao plant and fresh cocoa beans, most methods of processing remove many of the flavanols found in the raw plant. Factors such as the amount of time the bean spends in and out of the pod after harvest, the amount of fermentation (a key step to develop "chocolate" flavor), and the type of drying used can all affect the level of flavanols, so even raw cacao products may not be particularly high in flavanols."

It is amusing to see the cocoa/chocolate industry promoting chocolates claiming umpteen number of benefits if their products are consumed regularly. Sadly these claims are ill founded because most of the chocolate products do not contain much flavanols which are destroyed during the conversion of cocoa pod into chocolate products. The original pods are allowed to be fermented by typical bacterial population present in ripe cocoa pulp and then the beans are dried and severely roasted, cracked, nibs ground for long hours into fine cocoa mass before preparing chocolate products. During such a rigorous processing regime flavanols present in the original pod are bound to be adversely affected significantly. Added to this, extra fat and sugar are incorporated to make chocolates extremely appealing to the human palate. It is a dangerous thing to consume such chocolates generously and what it can contribute to is only dental decay and other sugar and fat related diseases!  Bitter chocolate products containing cocoa solids upwards of 70% are comparatively much better containing at least small concentration of flavanols besides low levels of white sugar. The million dollar question is how to get highly concentrated falavanol preparations from natural cocoa pods. Scientists who made the above disclosures regarding the beneficial impact of flavanols used a specially prepared extracts from green pods provided by the industry. Whether chocolate industry will be overwhelmed by demand from health conscious consumers for flavanol rich products rather than good tasting conventional chocolate products is some thing one has to wait and see!

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com

WRESTLING WITH MUSCLE LOSS-A GERIATRIC PHENOMENON

The phenomenon of aging is a fascinating area of scientific pursuit as living young is the cherished dream of majority of the population all over the world. There are many special foods, ingredients, therapy, medicines, supplements etc in the market claiming to retard or stop the biological process of aging and to maintain good quality of life. During aging almost all body functions are slowed down and adjusting to the new reality is often traumatic for many. Geriatric foods, marketed by many manufacturers, are often not based on scientific evidence but by logic and common sense, creating uncertainties regarding their efficacy universally. One of the areas currently under focused attention is the changes that take place in the muscle function as one ages and there is a sustained interest amongst industry as well as academic researchers in unraveling the dynamics of these changes hoping to find the ultimate elixir which can control the progress of aging and its consequences.

"Why muscles wither with age is captivating a growing number of scientists, drug and food companies, let alone aging baby boomers who, despite having spent years sweating in the gym, are confronting the body's natural loss of muscle tone over time. Comparisons between age groups underline the muscle disparity: An 80-year-old might have 30 percent less muscle mass than a 20-year-old. And strength declines even more than the mass. With interest high among the aging, the market potential for maintaining and rebuilding muscle mass seems boundless. Drug companies already are trying to develop drugs that can forestall their weakening without notoriety of anabolic steroids. Weight-lifting records for 60-year-old men are 30 percent lower than for 30-year-olds; for women the drop-off is 50 percent. Food giants like Nestlé and Danone are exploring nutritional products with the same objective. In addition, geriatric specialists, in particular, are now trying to establish the age-related loss of muscles as a medical condition under the name sarcopenia, from the Greek for loss of flesh. Simply put, sarcopenia is to muscle what osteoporosis is to bone. "In the future, sarcopenia will be known as much as osteoporosis is now," said Dr. Bruno Vellas, president of the International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics. Researchers involved in the effort say doctors and patients need to be more aware that muscle deterioration is a major reason the elderly lose mobility and cannot live independently. "A doctor sees old people who are shrinking and getting weak, but there is no medical terminology that's been created and made uniform to allow the doctor to make a diagnosis, look at possible causes, and make a treatment plan," said Dr. Stephanie A. Studenski, a professor of medicine at the University of Pittsburgh".

These efforts take into consideration the fact that once muscle degeneration and bone density changes can be managed the quality of life can be much better than otherwise. Probably this consideration is the driving force for some of the industry majors to enter this gamble hoping to strike "gold" in a few years' time. The nutritional needs of geriatric population which differ marginally from younger adults are not based on the understanding of the muscle loss and may call for reconsideration once the on-going studies bring out a better understanding of such changes. Current guidelines advocate a lesser consumption of calories and more intake of Vitamin D, B6 and calcium, compared to younger population. Foods and supplements evolved based on a better understanding of regeneration of muscles in older people and capable of overcoming the muscle loss phenomenon, are likely to be a big hit with geriatric population world over.

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com