What are the necessary foods to take to help the memory?
When one loses his or her memory, it is very difficult to recall most of the previous events. I understand that there are drugs that help boost remembrance. Beyond using drugs, I would like to know if there are foods that can help improve the recollection of those memories. If there are any, what are those foods?
Answers ( 2 )
Actually, there are no medications which improve memory other than very short-term- such as caffeine. The studies just do not demonstrate a decent-sized efficacy for the drugs which have been marketed for memory loss- such as dementia- although many of these drugs are given approval, which, to my mind, shows how scared people are of, literally, losing their mind as they age.
There are no foods, there are no vitamins- that simply is not how it works.
The best way to avoid age-related memory loss, or dementia, is to die before age, oh, sixty-eight or so. Sooner if you have the gene for early-onset Alzheimer's.
The best way to continue living and avoid losing your mind is to have a genetic make-up which does not include heart or lung issues, circulatory issues, also no TBIs (traumatic brain injuries- like concussion) and no syphilis. If you can avoid all of those, you'll be ahead of the game going into your seventies and eighties. From there, it's going to be according to what it is that kills you; again, circulatory/cardiac/pulmonary issues are the Big Three as far as age-related memory loss; after that, it's rather luck of the draw.
Eat what you like as long as what you eat nourishes you, body and soul. Do not be obese. Do not be a couch potato. Read. Listen to music. Have an animal companion. Travel. Don't stop living.Do all of these things and, if you're lucky, you'll make it through old age and out the other side without losing your mind.
And, on the plus side if you do lose your mind, you won't know- so why worry about it?
There are no foods that help with memory. It's important to think of food as sustenance or fuel, and not magic or medicine. Food is needed to run your body, and the best thing you can do dietarily is simply to get a wide variety of foods and not overdo ones that are bad in large quantities. But you won't find any that suddenly improve your memory. That's just not how your body works.
In fact, your memory really can't be improved, apart from a few short-term tricks for recall. Your memory is mostly determined by genetics, as @J Starr correctly said. There is also some evidence that remaining active and maintaining good circulation may help. But the main thing about mental facility in general is that it's "use it or lose it". As long as you keep challenging your brain in new ways, you are far more likely to maintain your existing capacity in the face of aging, which really can't be avoided.
However, there is one thing you can do that has a significant effect on memory, and can really make a huge difference. That thing is sleep. Sleeping enough has a major effect on your memory, and sleep deficit can significantly harm your ability to recall things. So rather than looking for magic foods, make sure you sleep a minimum of 7 hours a night, but preferably 8-10. It's very hard to make up for lost sleep, and you will notice a difference in your ability to recall things over time.