Have you found yourself searching for where you left your car keys more frequently lately or have you missed appointments because you forgot you scheduled them?

One woman, 43-year-old Kimberly McClain, became increasingly irritated with herself because of her growing inability to remember simple daily tasks in her life. McClain’s memory problems were restored to razor-like sharpness after she attended a two-week program designed to boost brain functioning.

The memory program, created by Gary Small, a psychiatrist and director of the UCLA Center on Aging, integrated components from the following four areas: nutrition, exercise, stress reduction and memory-enhancing activities.

Characteristics of the Program

• The diet in the program includes a high intake of foods that contain omega-3 fatty acids and plenty of fruits and vegetables. The diet also centers on eating three meals and three snacks a day.
• Light stretching, walking and stress-relieving exercises are performed many times throughout the day.
• Memory exercises are practiced for around 15 minutes a day.

A study evaluated 17 volunteers who experienced minor memory problems. Eight of the study participants were randomly chosen to take part in the two-week "brain boot camp" program while the other participants went on with their lives as usual.

Results from brain scans, which were taken before and after the participants completed the program, showed dramatic improvement with brain activity in the frontal portion of the brain, which is responsible for daily memory functions.

Those who participated in the program also reported a definite decrease in forgetfulness over those who didn’t take part in the program.

Some experts stated the results of the study weren’t foolproof evidence that a person who completed the program wouldn’t develop Alzheimer’s disease. On the contrary, supporters of the program claimed that keeping your brain stimulated could help delay memory problems. Researchers also stated the four lifestyle components that contributed to dementia were high-fat diets, little physical activity, stress and lack of mental stimulation.

Recommendations for future studies included performing studies with a larger number of people and focusing on one of the four components of the study to determine if some were more effective than others in helping improve memory.

In another study, it was discovered that the systolic blood pressure reading of those who participated in the program dropped by seven points. Research has shown a connection between normal blood pressure levels and the postponement of Alzheimer’s disease.

USA Today June 7, 2004