If you’ve noticed that your mind and memory aren’t what they used to be compared to your younger years, don’t blame it all on age or inherited genes. Modifying your lifestyle to reflect healthy habits can help you become more alert, improve your memory and increase your attention span.

This latest study in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease confirms previous studies on vegetable intake and dementia. Here, healthy subjects between the ages of 45 and 102 underwent cognitive testing while their blood was checked for antioxidant micronutrients and biomarkers of oxidative stress. Their daily fruit and vegetable intake was also assessed.

The subjects in the high fruit and veggie intake group scored significantly higher on the cognitive tests, and they also had higher antioxidant levels and lower biomarkers for oxidative stress than those in the low intake group.

Is the next Alzheimer's breakthrough in your kitchen right now?

Featured in the Mediterranean diet, it's already celebrated for numerous health benefits. But this delicious food could have one more trick up its sleeve—prevention and treatment of Alzheimer's.

In India, Alzheimer's disease is relatively uncommon. People over the age of 65 living in certain rural areas of India have a less than 1 percent (0.84%) chance of developing the disease. In the larger cities and rural areas of India, the risk is just 2.4 percent. [1,2]

Compare these findings to people over the age of 65 living in the United States. Again, depending on where we are living, our chances of developing Alzheimer's disease range from a little under 5 percent to an astonishing 17 percent. [3,4]

It’s true! You really can eat your way to optimum brain power and continue to feed your brain at any age.

The right foods will help you use your brain to the max, and the more you use it, the more you’ll challenge your brain to grow new cells, create new connections, and improve your problem-solving and memory functions.

Resveratrol is a potent antioxidant found in certain fruits, vegetables and cocoa that is emerging as a modern-day fountain of youth. The science surrounding this compound is so compelling that it has become one of my all-time favorite antioxidants, and I believe one that shows real promise of health benefits.

Your morning cup o’ joe may protect you from one of the most dreaded diseases of our time.

A new study published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease says that drinking five medium-sized cups of coffee a day could lower your chances of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s [1].

Two studies in the July 2009 issue of Journal of Alzheimer's Disease show that five cups of coffee a day reverse memory loss in mice with Alzheimer's disease.  The coffee also reduced blood and brain levels of beta-amyloid,the abnormal protein that may cause Alzheimer's disease in mice and people.

Years ago, a friend of mine lost her grandfather. He was 82-years-old and had been living in an assisted-living facility following a mild stroke. While he bounced back physically after the stroke, his cognitive abilities were never the same.