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Organised by IFST Eastern Branch
Just like most of our other organs, the brain is increasingly liable to malfunction with age. The speed of mental processing slows down and short-term memory recall becomes worse. This extremely common condition his termed clinically as Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) and often occurs in otherwise healthy older individuals. The brain typically shrinks by 1% a year in MCI patients (and increases to 3% a year in Alzheimer’s Disease). There is emerging evidence that the onset of MCI can be delayed by “healthy living” i.e. primarily good nutrition and exercise. This presentation will consider the beneficial food constituents that influence brain activity and how they can be preserved during the food manufacturing process. The brain is particularly in need of energy from food, accounting for around 20% of total daily intake.
This presentation will examine what is known about the efficacy of specific nutrients, individually and in combination, in relation to delaying the onset of MCI. It will also consider if they could have a role as adjuncts in a more traditional pharmacological approach. The brain in MCI and Prodromal Alzheimer’s patients is increasingly starved of glucose-derived energy. This presentation will examine a new study that uses ketones as an alternative energy source.
Event Report:
Webinar: The Potential Role of Nutrition in Delaying Mild Cognitive Impairment
Speaker: Dr Rob Winwood presented a fascinating insight to the potential role various components of the diet might have in influencing brain performance. Just like most of our other organs, the brain is increasingly liable to malfunction with age. The speed of mental processing slows down and short-term memory recall becomes worse.
This extremely common condition is termed clinically as Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) and often occurs in otherwise healthy older individuals. The brain typically shrinks by 1% a year in MCI patients (and increases to 3% per year in Alzheimer’s Disease).
There is emerging evidence that the onset of MCI can be delayed by “healthy living” i.e. primarily good nutrition and exercise. Rob’s presentation mentioned some of the beneficial food constituents that influence brain activity and how they can be preserved during the food manufacturing process. The brain is particularly in need of energy from food, accounting for around 20% of total daily intake.
The presentation examined what is known about the efficacy of specific nutrients, individually and in combination, in relation to delaying the onset of MCI. It also considered if they could have a role as adjuncts in a more traditional pharmacological approach. The brain in MCI and Prodromal Alzheimer’s patients is increasingly starved of glucose-derived energy. Rob’s presentation also highlighted a new study that uses ketones as an alternative energy source. There were over 90 attendees to this webinar.
Written by Steve Timms