Women's Brain Health Initiative

🚨 Just a glimpse of the growing conversation: Our kids must understand the dangers of social media and device addiction! 📱💔 It's more important than ever to educate them about the impact on their mental health, self-esteem, and overall well-being. Check out some crucial coverage on this topic, and let’s take action together to protect the next generation! #Brainable #Brainhealth #DigitalWellness #ScreenTimeAwareness #HealthyHabits #ProtectOurKids https://lnkd.in/g9ZAVu8y

Lynn Posluns, President & CEO of Women's Brain Health Initiative weighs in on the cell phone bans in classrooms. More needs to be done to safeguard children's brain health. Our kids are in crisis and desperately need our help. 

Comedian and mental health advocate Mary Walsh recently joined Women’s Brain Health Initiative to share her thoughts on aging. Positive thinking can benefit your brain! Positivity leads to enhanced creativity, improves your ability to stay focused, strengthens your problem-solving skills, and increases overall mental productivity. Negative emotions can lead to slower response times, memory impairment, and decreased impulse control. Although a positive personality is something we’re born, there are steps you can take to improve your outlook. A recent study found that smiling—even fake smiling—reduces heart rate and blood pressure during stressful situations. John Hopkins University also suggests that you try to build resiliency against negative situations by; * Maintaining good relationships with family and friends. * Accepting that change is a part of life. * Taking action on problems rather than just hoping they disappear or waiting for them to resolve themselves. A positive attitude improves outcomes and life satisfaction across a host of conditions—including traumatic brain injury, stroke, and brain tumors. There is definitely a strong link between “positivity” and your health, including your brain health.

Unusual symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease can sometimes be subtle and easily overlooked, diverging from the more commonly recognized signs of memory loss and confusion. For instance, some individuals may experience changes in their sense of smell, losing the ability to identify familiar scents. Others might display increased anxiety or obsessive-compulsive behaviours, such as hoarding or repeatedly checking and rechecking things. Language difficulties can also manifest in unexpected ways, with a person struggling to find the right words, substituting unrelated words, or speaking in a way that is difficult to follow. Additionally, some may develop a heightened sensitivity to noise or light, becoming easily overwhelmed by environments they once found comfortable. These atypical symptoms can complicate the early detection of Alzheimer’s, underscoring the importance of paying attention to subtle changes in behaviour and sensory perception.

The Economist highlights protective factors that reduce your risk of developing dementia. Yes, The Economist! Learn more about how to optimize your brain health, the Six Pillars of Brain Health, reducing your risk and the BrainFit Habit Tracker app at Women's Brain Health Initiative. Lynn Posluns, JoAnne Korten Wes Worsfold, Lora Appel, Ron Beleno, Vivien Brown, Will Stewart

Dragons’ Den’s Arlene Dickinson recently joined Women’s Brain Health Initiative and shared her thoughts on resilience to maintain mental wellness. Resilience also helps protect our brain health by slowing down the progression of cognitive decline or delaying its onset. The idea underlying resilience is a concept called cognitive reserve. Lifestyle factors such as diet and fitness—and also learning—increase cognitive reserve. Higher cognitive reserve means fighting against loss of memory and dementia.

A recent study indicates that excessive total sugar intake is significantly associated with Alzheimer’s risk in women. Published in Nutritional Neuroscience with 37,689 people, those who consumed about 10 grams (2.4 teaspoons) of sugar daily had the largest risk increase. Lactose, the sugar found in milk and milk products, had the strongest link to Alzheimer’s among the sugar types studied. Managing cholesterol and blood sugar levels early may help lower the risk of developing Alzheimer’s later. One practical way to reduce sugar intake is limiting or eliminating sugary beverages. A separate study published in The Journal of Prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease found that higher consumption of sugar in beverages was associated with an increased risk of dementia, Alzheimer’s, and stroke. How much sugar is in your diet?

Evidence is increasing and is now stronger than before that tackling the many risk factors for dementia can reduce cases by up to 45%! The 2024 update of the Lancet Commission on dementia provides new hopeful evidence about dementia prevention, intervention, and care.  We have more control over our cognitive destiny than we realize.

here’s a link between gut inflammation and changes in the brain and declines in memory. The concept that the gut and brain are functionally connected has become more prominent in the last 10 years.
 In one recent study, researchers reported that compared with participants with the lowest levels of inflammation markers, those with the highest levels experienced an 8% steeper decline in thinking and memory skills over the course of the study. The group with the highest C-reactive protein levels had a 12% steeper decline in these skills than the group with the lowest levels. Do you have the guts to keep your brain healthy?

Everyone can benefit from a brain health habit tracker. Ingraining healthy new habits takes longer than we’d like to think. Tracking these habits makes remembering and following them easier in the long term. BrainFit - Habit Tracker is free and is designed to help lower dementia risk and prolong cognitive vitality with an emphasis on all Six Pillars of Brain Health - stress management, mental stimulation, social activity, nutrition, exercise, and sleep. Look for BrainFit - Habit Tracker in the App Store or Google Play.