When You Stop Learning, Your Brain Starts Dying

Mental decline is normal with age, but it’s not inevitable. Increasing age is the most powerful risk factor for memory loss and Alzheimer’s disease. Our research shows that the brains of most people typically become less and less active with age, blood flow drops and we become much more vulnerable to memory problems, brain fog and depression.

I recently met a woman who told me that now that she is 60-years-old, she doesn’t want to have to worry any more about what she eats or exercising. She was done with that part of her life. If that is you, you just want to make sure you’re ok with the consequences of having an older functioning brain -- less energy, brain fog, depression and bad decisions. 

As we age we have less room for error if we want to stay vibrant and healthy. To be your best and rescue your memory, you have to be vigilant for your health.

Since the 2008 recession, many people who thought they could retire, now have to work longer. The average age of retirement went from 57 to 62-years-old. But if your brain is not healthy, you’ll have trouble competing against younger talent. Don’t let that be you. Plus, there is a silver lining from working longer. A study of nearly 500,000 people found that for each additional year of work, the risk of getting dementia is reduced by 3.2%. Working keeps us physically active, socially connected and mentally stimulated, all things known to help prevent cognitive decline. 

My father, 88, still goes to work 5 days a week. He owns a chain of grocery stores and is active on the board of Unified Grocers, a 4-billion-dollar company, where he was the long-term chairman. He goes to work because he says all of his friends who retire die or lose their minds. It seems there may be something to his thinking. Of course, if you actively engage your brain in retirement it can be one of the best times of your life. 

But never forget that your brain is like a muscle, you have to use it or it will get smaller and smaller. When you stop learning, your brain starts dying.

Before my father got healthy at the age of 86, after a health crisis that I wrote about in The Brain Warrior’s Way, he had what I termed “the old person’s speech,” which goes something like this:

I am too old.

I am too tired.

Leave me alone.

Why should I care anymore?

I’ve done it this way my whole life, I cannot change now?

I can’t give up … sugar, bread, vodka, chips, you name it.

I’d rather get Alzheimer’s disease than give up sugar, wine, chips, you name it.

Your brain is very powerful and brings to life what you visualize. Your self-talk and words are the movie script your brain plays out. If you think you are old and slow, you will feel old and slow.

Mechanisms for Aging

There are several recognized mechanisms for aging, including lowered blood flow, inflammation, higher blood sugar levels (see subsequent chapters), excessive calorie intake and excessive production of free radicals and oxidative stress. I want to spend time getting you to care about your mitochondria, and keeping free radical production, oxidative stress, iron, AGEs (Advanced Gylcation End Products), social isolation and lack of stimulation under control.

Power Up Your Mitochondria

Your brain is the most expensive real estate in your body, using about 20-30% of the calories you consume. Inside your cells are tiny power plants called mitochondria that produce energy in the form of ATP (adenosine triphosphate). Different types of human cells have varying numbers of mitochondria.  Red blood cells don’t have any mitochondria, liver cells can have up to 2,000 mitochondria, while cells that require the most energy (heart, retina and brain) brain cells can have up to 10,000 mitochondria per cell. The prefrontal cortex (focus, forethought, judgment and impulse control) has the most densely populated mitochondria. When they are healthy the mitochondria crank out ATP and you feel energized; when they are inefficient or damaged you feel tired, foggy-headed and old. If your mitochondria stop making energy, even for a few minutes (think cyanide poisoning), you die. 

Aging is the most common cause of mitochondrial dysfunction. Estimates are they decrease in efficiency by about 50% from your 30s to your 70s, which is could help explain why diseases of aging, such as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease tend to occur later in life.  

When the mitochondria converts oxygen into energy, highly reactive molecules called free radicals are made, which is normal; but when free radicals are produced in excessive amounts they can damage our DNA, cells, tissues and organs.  When our free radicals outnumber our antioxidant defenses against them, this is called oxidative stress. Think of exposure to high amounts of free radicals, like the way rust attacks the metal on a car, attacking your cells, damaging your DNA and accelerating aging. 

Cigarettes, trans fats, excessive sun exposure, charred meats, pesticides, mercury, liver dysfunction, high iron, excessive exercise, abnormal hormone levels all can generate free radicals and promote oxidative stress, which further feeds into chronic inflammation, cell and tissue death, and progressive loss of function. 

Excessive Iron

Iron loves free radicals and excessive iron in your body promotes oxidative stress and internal rusting. Ferritin is a measure of iron stores. High levels are associated with inflammation, insulin resistance and neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. Low levels are associated with anemia, restless legs, ADHD, low motivation and fatigue.  Women often have lower iron stores than men, due to blood loss from menstruation.

AGEs (Advanced Glycation End Products)

I’ve always been amused by this acronym. It clearly teaches us that sugar is associated with accelerated aging. Glycation is a fancy word for what happens when sugar reacts with proteins and fats to form sticky molecules (AGEs) that gum up our biological systems and fast-tracks aging, by increasing free radicals and inflammation.  When blood sugar is high and sugar molecules cannot properly get into cells for energy production, they stick to proteins on red blood cells and decrease circulation through your blood vessels. This is one reason why diabetics, who have high blood sugar levels, have problems with their eyes, kidneys and their toes. AGEs form when you caramelize onions in a frying pan, which tastes great, but imaging the sticky-gooey stuff running through blood vessels. AGEs are involved with causing wrinkles in your skin and damage to your cells. They are also involved with heart disease, eye, liver and pancreatic disease and memory loss. 

Loss of Neurotransmitters, Especially Serotonin, Dopamine and Acetylcholine

As we age, we lose brain cells that produce important neurotransmitters, chemicals that help our brains communicate effectively. These include:

? Serotonin, increasing the risk of depression

? Dopamine, increasing the risk of Parkinson’s disease and loss of motivation and pleasure

? GABA, increasing the risk for anxiety

? Acetylcholine, involved with learning and memory

Protecting your brain will help support these and cells and decrease your risk for “normal” age-related memory decline. When it comes to memory both dopamine (short term memory) and acetylcholine (learning and memory) are particularly important. 

Social Isolation

We are a social animal. It is hard-wired into our brains, and when we are disconnected from others, when we are lonely, it can have negative physical and neurological effects. Being socially isolated, which is more common as we age, is associated with an increased rate of cognitive decline. In a study of more than 8,300 adults aged 65 and older participating in the US Health and Retirement Study had assessments conducted every two years from 1998 to 2010; researchers reported that the loneliest people experienced cognitive decline approximately 20% faster than people who were not lonely, regardless of any other factors. 

Reduce the Retirement/Aging Risk

Be Serious: Be serious about brain health by using the risk reduction strategies listed here along with regular screening.  Engage in lifelong learning as long as you want to keep your brain. I turned 63 this year. After looking at thousands of senior’s brains, I know I’m in a war for the health of mine. But I have seen many healthy 92-year-old brains and I’m planning for mine to be one of them. When I don’t feel like exercising or eating right, I will ask myself, “Which brain do you want?” An old or young one? Which do you want?

Keep Ferritin in Check: If your ferritin (a measure of iron stores) level is low, consider taking iron. If your ferritin level is too high, you can lower it by donating blood, which is good for you and good for someone else. It’s also much more fun than being bled by leeches. I was in Istanbul a few years ago visiting the spice market, where I actually saw leeches for sale. Now you know why, bloodletting lowers excessive iron stores and helps keep you healthy. I prefer donating blood.

Some people also have a genetic predisposition to absorbing too much iron (hemochromatosis or hemosiderosis).  A common cause of too much iron is regular alcohol consumption, which increases the absorption of iron from your diet.  If you drink wine with your New York steak, you will likely absorb more iron than you need.  Other potential causes of high iron levels include: cooking in iron pans, eating processed food products like cereals "fortified' with iron, drinking well-water high in iron, or taking vitamin or mineral supplements with extra iron.

Certain herbs and spices, rich in phenols can reduce iron absorption, such as green tea and rosemary. Curcumin also helps to eliminate iron.

Dietary Antioxidants: Such as vitamins C and E and carotenoids (the yellow, green, orange and red substances that naturally give plants their color), inhibit the production of free radicals. Good sources of vitamin C are tomatoes, fruits (especially citrus and kiwi), melon, raw cabbage, green leafy vegetables, peppers, sprouts, broccoli, and cabbage. Sources of vitamin E are nuts, egg yolk and green leafy vegetables. Then there are the bioflavonoids: organic blueberries are an especially good source of these powerful antioxidants. Rats fed blueberries were better at learning new motor skills as they aged. Rats fed a blueberry-rich diet who were then given a stroke lost only 17% of the neurons in their hippocampus compared to 42% neuron loss in rats not eating blueberries. Eat your organic blueberries (non-organic blueberries hold too many pesticides, which counteract the positive effect). Strawberries and spinach also are high in anti-oxidant properties.

The Best Antioxidant Fruits and Vegetables (from the US Department of Agriculture)

1. Blueberries
2. Blackberries
3. Cranberries
4. Strawberries
5. Spinach
6. Raspberries
7. Brussel sprouts
8. Plums
9. Broccoli
10. Beets
11. Avocados
12. Oranges
13. Red grapes
14. Red bell peppers
15. Cherries
16. Kiwis

Reduce Social Isolation Risk: Get involved with your family, church or other groups. Take a class, form new friendships, share experiences, get physically active and try to stay connected. New research shows that people who help care for others live longer. People who support and care for others are also doing themselves a favor. For example, researchers found that grandparents who care for their grandchildren on average live longer than grandparents who do not. This study was done on over 500 people between 70 and 103 years-old over a 20-year period.

Out of These 10 Things to Fight Retirement/Aging: Pick One to Start Today

1.    Stop smoking

2.    Limit charred meats

3.    Get your ferritin level checked

4.    Donate blood

5.    Try a daily 12-16 hour fast

6.    Consume more plant antioxidants, such as organic blueberries

7.    Acetyl-l-carnitine (ALCAR)

8.    N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC)

9.    Stay connected

10. Start a daily practice of learning something new

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About the Author:

Daniel Amen, M.D. is a double board-certified psychiatrist, professor and 10-time New York Times best-selling author. He is one of the world's foremost experts on using brain imaging tools to help optimize and treat patients. He is founder of Amen Clinics, which has the world’s largest database of functional brain scans relating to behavior.