The Age-Well Project

Change the way you age

Get our posts direct to your inbox

  • About The Age-Well Project
  • Books
    • Our Books
    • Reviews
    • References
  • Blog
  • Recipes
    • Recipes By Ingredient
    • Breakfast
    • Dessert
    • Dinner
    • Drinks
    • Family
    • On The Go
    • Soups and Salads
    • Treats and Snacks
  • Contact
  • Events
  • Press

LOOK AFTER YOUR BLOOD-BRAIN BARRIER TO REDUCE ALZHEIMER’S RISK

October 29, 2021 2 Comments

We know that multiple factors – from diet to genetics – are implicated in our risk of succumbing to dementia as we age. And we know that the brain isn’t a separate entity to the rest of our bodies – how we look after one affects the other. We also know that a disease like Alzheimer’s doesn’t arrive overnight, like the flu, it’s the result of a decades-long process in the brain. What still isn’t clear is exactly how all these factors interlink, and why Alzheimer’s is the end result.

Now attention in the science world is focussing on the point where our  bodies and brains meet: the blood-brain barrier. There are many research projects underway to establish how failures in this vital interface create the conditions for Alzheimer’s. Last month, researchers in Australia claimed a breakthrough. Using mice, they found leakage from the blood to the brain occurs when microscopic capillaries in the blood-brain barrier are bombarded with amyloid-beta proteins. This causes inflammation. And we know that inflammation in the brain is closely linked to dementia. You can read more about the study here.

WHAT IS THE BLOOD-BRAIN BARRIER?

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) acts as both gatekeeper and exchange system. When it’s working well, the BBB allows vital nutrients into the brain, and filters out toxins  – working like an implacable nightclub bouncer, letting in the beautiful people and keeping out undesirables. Maintaining tight junctions between the cells of the BBB tight is vital, as you can imagine – otherwise all sorts of nasties can get in. But the integrity of the BBB varies throughout our lives. During perimenopause, plummeting hormones can cause the BBB to become less efficient *eye roll*. And as we age, the BBB can become ever more leaky, contributing to cognitive decline.

HOW TO LOOK AFTER THE BBB

SLEEP:

Apart from ageing, there are many other factors which impact the integrity of this vital mechanism. The BBB is particularly susceptible to disruptions in our sleep, for example. It uses the time we are in deep sleep to sweep out accumulated toxins which have built up during the day. Sleep deprivation has been shown to increase BBB permeability, which in turn leads to increased inflammation in the brain. So getting good sleep is vital – we’ve shared tips here and here

DIET:

A healthy diet makes a huge difference too: it stands to reason that a mechanism for keeping our brains nourished responds to good nutrition itself. B vitamins, and vitamin C, get priority access to the brain via the BBB, and are found in higher concentrations there than in other parts of the body. If we don’t have enough of them, our brains will suffer. The Omega-3 essential fatty acids EPA and DHA, found in oily fish, support the blood brain barrier and help transport B vitamins to the brain to do their vital work. Curcumin (the active ingredient in turmeric) and sulforaphane (found in cruciferous vegetables like Brussels sprouts, broccoli and cauliflower) also support the BBB. Magnesium affects our neurotransmitters and supports mitochondria (the ‘batteries’ in our cells). Find it in spinach, chard, almonds, avocado, pumpkin seeds and dark chocolate. (All the links will take you to recipes for these ingredients)

NOURISH YOUR GUT:

There’s a direct link between the brain and the gut, so it makes sense that the health of one impacts the other. Research on mice bred with no gut microbiota at all found that they had leaky BBBs. But when good bacteria were introduced into their guts, their BBB permeability improved. So feed your good microbiota with leafy green vegetables, alliums such as leeks and onions, and small amounts of fermented foods such as kimchi, yogurt and kefir. Research published earlier this month linked a substance found in the herb basil with reduced neurotoxicity in the Alzheimer’s brain. We include basil in lots of our recipes – this pea and roasted garlic soup with basil and farro is a winner.

STIMULATE THE VAGUS NERVE:

We’ve written before about how the vagus nerve is the ‘information superhighway’ between our brains and our guts. It likes to be fine-tuned with deep breathing, singing, humming, meditation and cold showers. It responds better to interval training like HIIT, than endurance exercise. Stimulating the vagus nerve also helps us manage stress, which has a negative impact on the BBB.

GET VITAMIN D:

Research has found that Vitamin D supplementation helps repair damage to the BBB following a stroke. With clocks going back in the UK this weekend, getting vitamin D from sun is about to get even harder. Hopefully we don’t need to remind you to take a supplement for this essential nutrient, and to get outside when you can. (And if you’re in Australia or New Zealand, enjoy the coming of spring and the lighter evenings!)

GET THE BLOOD TO YOUR BRAIN:

Exercise, cold showers, sunlight, listening to (or making) music and dark chocolate all help promote blood flow to the brain. All good things to seek out this weekend!

ARE YOU A GOLDSTER?

I’m so excited to tell you that I’m joining Goldster as a tutor. If you haven’t come across it yet, Goldster is an online health and wellness platform for the over-50s, offering hundreds of classes from yoga to painting and strength training to happiness, all via Zoom. What I like about Goldster is that all the classes are scientifically proven to help healthy ageing, and they’re all interactive so you can ask questions and get advice directly from the experts.

I’ll be teaching an hour-long class on ageing well (of course!) each Thursday at 6pm. My first class is on Thursday November 4th. You can sign up for a free 30-day trial of the platform here- after that it’s £9.99 a month. Do come and say hello!

 

Susan

Photo: Larm Rmah @ Unsplash

« CANCER, DEPRESSION, MEMORY: THE LATEST RESEARCH
WHEN TO FALL ASLEEP – AND FOR HOW LONG? »

Trackbacks

  1. What Is The Blood-Brain Barrier? Age Well Project | lorrie graham says:
    November 2, 2021 at 3:01 pm

    […] THE AGE WELL PROJECT […]

    Reply
  2. Would you try the 'Green' Mediterranean Diet? - The Age-Well Project says:
    February 11, 2022 at 2:54 pm

    […] that the abundance of polyphenols in the diet delivers anti-inflammatory antioxidants which cross the blood brain barrier. This reduces inflammation in the brain and allows it to create new neurons in the hippocampus (the […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter

Welcome to The Age-Well Project

Welcome to The Age-Well Project!
Here you’ll find easy changes for a longer, happier life. We’ve immersed ourselves in the science of longevity and distilled the research to make it work in our everyday lives. You can change the way you age: here’s how.

Favourite Posts

WHY I’VE THROWN OUT ALL MY BEAUTY PRODUCTS (nearly…)

Why Alzheimer’s Is A Women’s Issue

HOW HAVING A DOG CHANGED MY LIFE

GREEN SPACE IS GOOD FOR YOUR HEALTH

SUGAR, CHOCOLATE, SADNESS AND BRAIN-BOOSTING BISCUITS

WHY ‘INFLAMM-AGEING’ COULD START IN THE GUT AND HARISSA-ROASTED VEGETABLE SALAD

POLYAMINES – THE NEW SECRET WEAPON FOR AGEING WELL & MOROCCAN SPINACH AND CHICKPEAS.

THINNING AGEING HAIR – WARM CHICKEN LIVER SALAD

About The Age Well Project

This site is for anyone who wants to make the second half of their life as healthy, happy and disease-free as possible. Sign up to get the latest research on ageing – and delicious recipes to match – direct to your inbox.

agewellproject

⭐️Change the way you age
📚The Age-Well Project + Age-Well Plan ⭐️Get tips & recipes on our blog - sign up ⬇️

The Age-Well Project blog
We’ve been playing with Pinterest! We’ve upl We’ve been playing with Pinterest! 

We’ve uploaded 10 of our Age-Well recipes to Pinterest, just to test the water. We’ve got so many gorgeous recipes on the blog, and sometimes they’re hard to search. Hopefully being on Pinterest will make them a bit easier to find. 

Are you a…. pinner? Pinster? What’s the correct term? We don’t know! Anyway, if you are, could you let us know if we’ve done it right? Then we can start adding more recipes. 

Link in our bio to our Pinterest page

#pinterest #pinterestrecipes #brainhealth #longevity #womenover50 #agewell #ageingwell #agingwell #longevityblog #healthblog #agewellblog #over50bloggers
We’ve been thinking about this a lot recently: i We’ve been thinking about this a lot recently: if grieving is an inherent part of ageing, how do we do it well? 

As we get older, we must inevitably live with an accumulation of loss, because we’ve had longer to love. Love has a huge impact on our brains: they are literally rewired by our relationships. When someone dies, our brains struggle.  We cannot understand where they are, or why they have gone. We try to locate them in time and in space. 

How we cope with our emotionally overloaded brains in times of grief, and how it shapes us, is the subject of our latest blog post - link in bio. 

#brainhealth #longevity #womenover50 #cognitivehealth #agewell #ageingwell #agingwell #longevity #longevityblog #healthblog #agewellblog #over50bloggers #grief #loss
Annabel is in Tel Aviv this week, finding her way Annabel is in Tel Aviv this week, finding her way around using a proper paper map - which is a fantastic brain work out. Research published a few days ago from McMasters University 🇨🇦 linked orienteering (a team sport which combines map reading with running) to reduced dementia risk. Who’s tried it? We’re keen to give it a go! @britishorienteering #agewell #ageingwell #agingwell #aginggracefully #mapreading #orienteering #dementia #dementiaawareness #reducedementiarisk #alzheimers #alzheimersrisk #dementiaprevention #womenover50 #womenagainstalzheimers #agewellblog #longevityblog #healthblog #over50bloggers
Strength training is one of our non-negotiable Age Strength training is one of our non-negotiable Age Well strategies, so we’re always looking for ways to make the best of our work outs! 

5 top tips here - and more on the blog, link in bio. 

What are you top tips for strength training? Let us know

#longevityblog #agewell #ageingwell #agingwell #healthblog  #longevity #over50andfit #agewellblog #midlife #midlifewomen #strengthtraining #buildmuscle #womenwholift #fitover50
In recent years we've both, like so many of our ge In recent years we've both, like so many of our generation, faced the consequences of caring for elderly relatives. But we talk so little about caring, and the unexpected burdens and stresses that can bring. 

Caring is an experience that's so difficult to prepare for, but it can help to share experiences. This is what we've done in our latest blog post. Do have a read and let us know your stories too - the link’s in our bio (and the post will also explain why Susan went on a ‘pilgrimage’ to Kentish Town!) 

#longevityblog #agewell #ageingwell #agingwell #healthblog  #longevity #over50andfit #agewellblog #hydration #midlife #midlifewomen #caring #carers #daughtersofdementia #dementiacarers
#carersupport #dementiacaregiver #dementiacare
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Contact Us

For any enquiries please email theagewellproject@gmail.com.

Copyright © 2023 The Age-Well Project