Why Older People Lose Their Memory

The stereotype of the old forgetful person whose memory often fails him is widely held, but the reason for its appearance was never really pinpointed. Much like gray hair and wrinkles, it was just thought to be part of growing old.

Now new research from Adam M. Brickman, PhD, of the Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain at Columbia University Medical Center in New York, shows that silent strokes may be the cause. Essentially small dead spots in the brain are found in one out of four elderly people.

Brickman's study is published in the January 3rd issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology and he states :

"The new aspect of this study of memory loss in the elderly is that it examines silent strokes and hippocampal shrinkage simultaneously."

His study was conducted with over 650 people aged 65 and older. They were free from dementia and were given MRI brain scans. They also took tests to measure their memory, language, speed at processing information and visual perception. Of the 658 people, 174 were identified as having had silent strokes.

Those 174 scored worse on memory tests, regardless of how large their hippocampus was.

Brickman says that :

"Given that conditions like Alzheimer's disease are defined mainly by memory problems, our results may lead to further insight into what causes symptoms and the development of new interventions for prevention. Since silent strokes and the volume of the hippocampus appeared to be associated with memory loss separately in our study, our results also support stroke prevention as a means for staving off memory problems."

It's not known exactly why or how Alzheimer's destroys the brain's memory, but research has started to show accumulations of proteins called called amyloid plaques, among brain cells. Larger tangled protein strands then start to appear inside the cells. However, treatments to remove the proteins have not been particularly successful in improving memory loss.

Brickman's research points the investigation in a new direction, and focuses more on the vascular system. While circulation and loss of brain function from minute strokes may not be the whole solution its certainly an important part of it, as Brickman concludes :

"What our study suggests is, even when we account for the decline in memory attributed to hippocampal shrinkage or degeneration, that strokes ... play an additional role in the memory decline," Brickman says. He is the Herbert Irving assistant professor of neuropsychology at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.

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Vitamin K intake cuts risk of diabetes in the elderly by 50 percent

Vitamin K promotes the removal of calcium from the blood to prevent heart disease and diabetes

A team of Spanish scientists noted "The results of this study show that dietary phylloquinone intake is associated with reduced risk of type-2 diabetes, which extends the potential roles of vitamin K in human health." The researchers noted that vitamin K deficiencies are prevalent in western diets due to a lack of leafy green vegetables such as lettuce, spinach, and broccoli that provide vitamin K1, the most common isomer of the vitamin. Vitamin K2 (from fermented foods and natto) is much less common in the typical diet and can be synthesized in the gut by microflora.

Researchers reviewed data on 1,069 men and women with an average age of 67 that were part of the Prevention with the Mediterranean Diet trial in Spain. None of the participants had diabetes at the start of the study. 131 had developed the disease after five and a half years. The team determined that those with the highest levels of vitamin K1 at the study's outset experienced the lowest risk for developing Type II diabetes.

The team concluded "An increase in the amount of phylloquinone intake during the follow-up was associated with a 51 percent lower risk of diabetes in elderly subjects at high cardiovascular risk after a median follow-up of 5.5 years." Though still to be determined, the researchers postulated that the risk reduction was due in large part to the metabolism of osteocalcin, a protein involved in bone mineralization and moving calcium from the blood into the bone. Nutrition experts recommend supplementing with a full spectrum form of vitamin K (1000 to 2200 mcg per day) to prevent diabetes and heart disease as we age.

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