brain aging

Disadvantaged Neighborhoods Tied to Higher Dementia Risk, Brain Aging

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Living in a disadvantaged neighborhood is associated with accelerated brain aging and a higher risk for early dementia, regardless of income level or education, new research suggested.

Analysis of two datasets revealed that people living in the most disadvantaged neighborhoods had a more than 20% higher risk for dementia than those in other areas and measurably poorer brain health as early as age 45, regardless of their own personal income and education.

“If you want to prevent dementia and you’re not asking someone about their neighborhood, you’re missing information that’s important to know,” lead author Aaron Reuben, PhD, postdoctoral scholar in neuropsychology and environmental health at Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, said in a news release.

The study was published online on March 14 in Alzheimer’s & Dementia.

Higher Risk in Men

Few interventions exist to halt or delay the progression of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD), which has increasingly led to a focus on primary prevention.

Although previous research pointed to a link between socioeconomically disadvantaged neighborhoods and a greater risk for cognitive deficits, mild cognitive impairment, dementia, and poor brain health, the timeline for the emergence of that risk is unknown.

To fill in the gaps, investigators studied data on all 1.4 million New Zealand residents, dividing neighborhoods into quintiles based on level of disadvantage (assessed by the New Zealand Index of Deprivation) to see whether dementia diagnoses followed neighborhood socioeconomic gradients.

After adjusting for covariates, they found that overall, those living in disadvantaged areas were slightly more likely to develop dementia across the 20-year study period (adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 1.09; 95% CI, 1.08-1.10).

The more disadvantaged the neighborhood, the higher the dementia risk, with a 43% higher risk for ADRD among those in the highest quintile than among those in the lowest quintile (HR, 1.43; 95% CI, 1.36-1.49).

The effect was larger in men than in women and in younger vs older individuals, with the youngest age group showing 21% greater risk in women and 26% greater risk in men vs the oldest age group.

Dementia Prevention Starts Early

Researchers then turned to the Dunedin Study, a cohort of 938 New Zealanders (50% female) followed from birth to age 45 to track their psychological, social, and physiological health with brain scans, memory tests, and cognitive self-assessments.

The analysis suggested that by age 45, those living in more disadvantaged neighborhoods across adulthood had accumulated a significantly greater number of midlife risk factors for later ADRD.

They also had worse structural brain integrity, with each standard deviation increase in neighborhood disadvantage resulting in a thinner cortex, greater white matter hyperintensities volume, and older brain age.

Those living in poorer areas had lower cognitive test scores, reported more issues with everyday cognitive function, and showed a greater reduction in IQ from childhood to midlife. Analysis of brain scans also revealed mean brain ages 2.98 years older than those living in the least disadvantaged areas (P = .001).

Limitations included the study’s observational design, which could not establish causation, and the fact that the researchers did not have access to individual-level socioeconomic information for the entire population. Additionally, brain-integrity measures in the Dunedin Study were largely cross-sectional.

“If you want to truly prevent dementia, you’ve got to start early because 20 years before anyone will get a diagnosis, we’re seeing dementia’s emergence,” Reuben said. “And it could be even earlier.”

Special blood factor linked to clotting can reverse brain aging

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  Scientists from the University of California-San Francisco have found that a component in our blood, commonly associated with clotting, may hold the key to reversing signs of aging in the brain. This same factor is linked to the benefits of young blood transfusions, the so-called “longevity hormone” klotho, and even the cognitive gains from regular exercise.

The study pinpoints platelet factor 4 (PF4) as the crucial element behind these rejuvenating effects. PF4 is a product of platelets, which are blood cells that rush to the rescue when we get a wound, helping with clotting. It seems that PF4 can also make old brains act younger and young brains become even sharper.

“Young blood, klotho, and exercise can somehow tell your brain, ‘Hey, improve your function,’” says study senior author Dr. Saul Villeda, associate director of the UCSF Bakar Aging Research Institute, in a university release. “With PF4, we’re starting to understand the vocabulary behind this rejuvenation.”

What does this mean in practical terms?

Dr. Villeda’s expertise in parabiosis, where two animals share a blood system, has revealed that when an older animal is connected to a younger one, it appears rejuvenated. By 2014, he identified that PF4 was abundant in the plasma of younger animals and had the power to bring about this rejuvenation.

Introducing PF4 to older creatures calmed their aging immune systems, both in the body and brain. As a result, these older animals showed better memory and learning capacities.

“PF4 actually causes the immune system to look younger, it’s decreasing all of these active pro-aging immune factors, leading to a brain with less inflammation, more plasticity and eventually more cognition,” explains Dr. Villeda. “We’re taking 22-month-old mice, equivalent to a human in their 70s, and PF4 is bringing them back to function close to their late 30s, early 40s.”

This microscopic image shows microglia, immune cells in the brain, in red. The green and yellow areas point to age-related inflammation in an old mouse.
This microscopic image shows microglia, immune cells in the brain, in red. The green and yellow areas point to age-related inflammation in an old mouse. (Credit: UCSF)

Dr. Dena Dubal, UCSF professor and David A. Coulter Endowed Chair in Aging and Neurodegenerative Disease, previously identified the cognitive benefits of the hormone klotho. Her team uncovered that klotho worked its magic by prompting platelets to release PF4. This not only improved the structure of memory regions in the brain but also enhanced overall cognitive performance in both old and young animals.

“Ideally, we’ll have multiple shots on goal for one of our biggest biomedical problems, cognitive dysfunction, with the fewest side effects and the most benefit,” says Dr. Dubal.

Building on the widely accepted notion that exercise is beneficial for the brain, Dr. Tara Walker, professor of neuroscience at the University of Queensland, discovered that exercise prompts the release of PF4. This revelation has significant implications.

“For a lot of people with health conditions, mobility issues or of advanced age, exercise isn’t possible, so pharmacological intervention is an important area of research,” notes Dr. Walker. “We can now target platelets to promote neurogenesis, enhance cognition and counteract age-related cognitive decline.”

The synchronized release of these findings underscores the robustness of the research.

“When we realized we had independently and serendipitously found the same thing, our jaws dropped,” says Dr. Dubal. “The fact that three separate interventions converged on platelet factors truly highlights the validity and reproducibility of this biology. The time has come to pursue platelet factors in brain health and cognitive enhancement.”

Unlock the Secret to Slowing Brain Aging: This Diet Gene May Extend Lifespans

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🔑 Key Findings:

  • The OXR1 gene plays a key role in brain aging and longevity
  • Calorie-restrictive diets optimize this gene’s ability to function
  • Scientists think this discovery could lead to new anti-aging drugs

 The right diet can slow brain aging and add years to your life. Now, scientists know why. Researchers at the Buck Institute have discovered a significant connection between calorie restriction, brain health, and increased lifespan — all focusing on the gene OXR1.

“When people restrict the amount of food that they eat, they typically think it might affect their digestive tract or fat buildup, but not necessarily about how it affects the brain,” says Kenneth Wilson, PhD, a Buck Institute postdoc and first author of the study. “As it turns out, this is a gene that is important in the brain.”

The study, which involved fruit flies and human cells, reveals that dietary restriction can delay aging and slow the progression of neurodegenerative diseases, like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, through a specific cellular mechanism. This process is primarily facilitated by the OXR1 gene, which plays a vital role in protecting brain cells from aging and causing neurological disorders.

“We found a neuron-specific response that mediates the neuroprotection of dietary restriction,” notes Buck Professor Pankaj Kapahi, PhD, co-senior author of the study, in a media release. “Strategies such as intermittent fasting or caloric restriction, which limit nutrients, may enhance levels of this gene to mediate its protective effects.”

“The gene is an important brain resilience factor protecting against aging and neurological diseases,” adds Buck Professor Lisa Ellerby, PhD, co-senior author of the study.

Longer genes could be the secret to the fountain of youth

The researchers’ journey began with the study of about 200 strains of fruit flies under different diets. They discovered that specific genetic variants, including the OXR1 gene (known as “mustard” or “mtd” in fruit flies), significantly influenced longevity under calorie-restricted diets. Scientists have found that this gene also protects cells from oxidative damage, which can lead to severe neurological defects and premature death.

Interestingly, the team found that the OXR1 gene impacts a protein complex called the retromer, essential for recycling cellular proteins and lipids.

“The retromer is an important mechanism in neurons because it determines the fate of all proteins that are brought into the cell,” says Wilson.

This process is particularly crucial in neurons and has a link to the prevention of age-related neurodegenerative diseases. The study authors conclude that dietary restriction aids in maintaining the retromer’s ability to function, ensuring healthy brain aging and extending lifespan.

“Diet is influencing this gene. By eating less, you are actually enhancing this mechanism of proteins being sorted properly in your cells, because your cells are enhancing the expression of OXR1,” Wilson explains.

Looking forward, the researchers want to identify compounds that can increase OXR1 levels in humans, potentially delaying brain aging and adding years to people’s lives.

“Hopefully from this we can get more of an idea of why our brains degenerate in the first place,” Wilson concludes. “Diet impacts all the processes in your body. I think this work supports efforts to follow a healthy diet, because what you eat is going to affect more than you know.”

How COVID-19 Accelerates Brain Aging and 1 Way to Protect Yourself

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(Kateryna Kon/Shutterstock)

Is it merely a coincidence that COVID-19 and aging are both accompanied by cognitive decline? Could COVID-19 alone cause aging? Do aging and COVID-19 combine to make cognitive function worse, or do they impair cognitive function separately? What can we do to prevent cognitive decline? This paper will examine these questions.

Summary of Key Facts

  • COVID-19 accelerates brain aging and increases the risk of dementia even after two years in severe cases.
  • Researchers found common ground at the genetic level for both COVID-19 and aging.
  • Meditation can help preserve brain function and volume at the genetic level.

COVID-19 Accelerates Brain Aging and Increases Risks of Dementia

A large-scale UK study published in Lancet Psychiatry analyzed a two-year retrospective cohort including 1,284,437 patients. It revealed that the risk of dementia was significantly higher in the COVID-19 group than in the control group. Moreover, this risk remained higher even two years after recovery.

Epoch Times Photo
Risk of dementia increases even after two years in COVID-19 patients. (Lancet Psychiatry)

Another UK study evaluated the cognitive function of 46 patients with severe COVID-19 infection.

These patients had a significant decline in attention, complex problem-solving skills, and memory. Their cognitive deficits were equivalent to aging by two decades and losing 10 IQ points.

Epoch Times Photo
Profile of cognitive deficits after severe COVID-19 similar to more than two decades of age-related decline. (eClinical Medicine)

How COVID-19 Accelerates Aging

Research in Europe investigated the correlation between COVID-19 infection and aging. The authors compared the brain images in seven hospitalized patients in the acute phase, one month later, and six months after COVID-19 onset.

During the acute phase, all seven patients presented severe cognitive dysfunction and prominent low metabolism condition in the frontal cortex.

After one and six months of recovery, though symptoms improved in seven patients, they still reported abnormal cognitive function. Their brain images displayed lower metabolism status in the frontal cortex area.

The long-term changes in brain structure and function suggested that COVID-19 infection might be responsible for persistent cognitive and behavioral symptoms.

Molecular-level Explanation of Aging

Scientists have discovered that our internal epigenetic clock controls human experiences of birth, aging, illness, and death. It is similar to the observation that everything in our universe has its cycle of formation, stasis, degeneration, and destruction.

Cells become senescent as we age. That means they stop dividing and enter a stasis. Instead of dying off as they usually would, they persist but change shape and size and secrete inflammatory molecules that cause other nearby cells to become senescent.

In an article published in Nature Reviews Genetics, Steve Horvath, a professor of human genetics and biostatistician at the University of California–Los Angeles, concluded that as people age and have more senescent cells, there are characteristic changes in the methylation status of human DNA. DNA methylation could regulate the gene expression level.

Genes are like seeds lying dormant in the soil. Some will grow, but some will not. The “switches,” including methylation switches, determine whether these seeds will succeed.

Aging Genes Regulated in COVID-19 Patients

Recent research by Maria Mavrikaki at Harvard Medical School has found convincing evidence that COVID-19 is causing brain aging at the gene level.

Researchers performed a complete gene sequencing analysis in 54 postmortem brain samples. Results showed striking similarities in gene expression patterns between COVID-19 samples and naturally aged controls.

It demonstrated that those genes up-regulated in aging were also up-regulated in severe COVID-19 infection; likewise, other genes down-regulated in aging were also down-regulated in severe COVID-19.

To further validate the results, the researchers collated gene-wide datasets from five independent aging cohort studies and confirmed this association.

Mavrikaki’s research showed that the cognitive deficits reported in COVID-19 patients might result from aging-associated changes in brain structure and gene expression.

Similar gene profiles were found between COVID-19 cases and five aging cohorts.
Genes expression in five independent aging cohorts was associated with that in COVID-19 cases.

Meditation Can Preserve Brain Function and Volume

The work by Mavrikaki is preliminary but informative. It could guide treatment for people who have lingering cognitive difficulties after COVID-19.

Research in 2014 analyzing a large sample (n = 100) of long-term meditators and control subjects aged between 24 and 77 years revealed that meditation could preserve brain volume.

A 2017 study suggests long-term meditation could reduce age-associated structural and functional brain changes. For example, researchers found increased gray matter volume and brain glucose metabolism markers in elderly expert meditators compared to controls.

A 2020 review summarized 25 published studies on mindfulness meditation and confirmed the effects of mindfulness meditation on increasing brain size, based on brain imaging studies and cognitive function assessment.

Meditation Can Slow the Aging Process at the Gene Expression Level

Furthermore, meditation could influence the expression level of genes.

As reported previously, a study focused on subjects practicing mindfulness and compassion meditation revealed that the aging rate measured at the genetic level in meditators significantly decreased.

Epoch Times Photo
Meditation could slow down aging acceleration. (Psychoneuroendocrinology)

In a follow-up study, the same researchers showed that even short meditation breaks could affect the methylation level of genes associated with immune response, metabolism, and aging.

Aging and COVID-19 share the same types of intracellular pathways related to glucose metabolism, neuronal communication, and inflammation. Because the same types of pathways are also regulated by meditation, practicing meditation can have a profound, positive effect on your health.

One key feature of epigenetic information is its potential reversibility.

In the studies above, the aging rate in meditators significantly decreased. Meditation every day has the potential benefits to slow down the aging process and reverse COVID-19 disease at genetic levels.

Conclusion

Aging and severe COVID-19 have epigenetic-level connections.

Meditation practice can target the gene expression involved in both aging and COVID-19. Accordingly, meditation can prevent or reverse COVID-19-induced dementia, cognitive decline, and COVID-19-induced aging. Even for people who have not experienced COVID-19 infection, meditation has many benefits, including slowing the process of cognitive decline.

Brain Aging in People With Schizophrenia

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Summary: Advanced brain aging may explain why, on average, people with schizophrenia have a significantly reduced life span.

Source: Cordis

People suffering from schizophrenia can expect to die 15 years sooner than they ordinarily would. A new study has now found that this could be partly caused by advanced brain aging.

The research findings were published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry.

Schizophrenia is associated with an increased risk of premature death, partially as a result of suicide or poor physical health. Studies to date have suggested that the high prevalence of disease, long-term cognitive decline and excess deaths in people with schizophrenia could in part be caused when their brain’s biological age overtakes the chronological age.

According to a few small-scale studies, this discrepancy called brain-predicted age difference (brain-PAD) has been found to be consistently higher in schizophrenic patients compared to healthy individuals. The studies have also shown that the gap between the two ages mainly widens during the first years after the onset of the illness.

On a larger scale

Recognizing the importance of examining whether these findings can be generalized through large-scale studies, the research team investigated brain age in more than 5,000 individuals from 26 international cohorts from the Enhancing NeuroImaging Genetics through Meta-Analysis [ENIGMA] Schizophrenia working group. The study included data from 2,803 schizophrenic patients and 2,598 healthy individuals aged 18 to 73 years.

“Brain-predicted age was individually estimated using a model trained on independent data based on 68 measures of cortical thickness and surface area, seven subcortical volumes, lateral ventricular volumes and total intracranial volume, all derived from T1-weighted brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans,” the study reports.

This shows a brain
Schizophrenia is associated with an increased risk of premature death, partially as a result of suicide or poor physical health.

On average, people with schizophrenia were found to have a higher brain-PAD compared to healthy controls, with a discrepancy between their brain-predicted age and their chronological age being about 3.5 years larger.

The team also investigated whether a higher brain-PAD in schizophrenic patients was linked to specific clinical characteristics: the age of onset of the illness, how long the patient has had schizophrenia, the severity of the symptoms, and the use and dosage of antipsychotic drugs. They found no association between brain-PAD and these characteristics.

“This suggests that a greater brain-PAD in schizophrenia may not be primarily driven by disease progression or treatment-related effects on brain structure that have been reported elsewhere. This is in keeping with previous studies showing a greater brain-PAD already present in first-episode schizophrenia and first-episode psychosis patients,” the authors state.

The study concludes that longitudinal studies with more in-depth clinical characterization are needed to establish whether a brain-age predictor such as brain-PAD could be a useful tool in early prevention or intervention strategies for the disease.

Poor Heart Health Predicts Premature Brain Aging

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Summary: Worse cardiovascular health at age 36 can predict a higher brain age and associated cognitive problems later in life.

Source: UCL

By estimating people’s brain age from MRI scans using machine learning, a team led by UCL researchers has identified multiple risk factors for a prematurely aging brain.

They found that worse cardiovascular health at age 36 predicted a higher brain age later in life, while men also tended to have older brains than women of the same age, as they report in The Lancet Healthy Longevity.

A higher brain age was associated with slightly worse scores on cognitive tests, and also predicted increased brain shrinkage (atrophy) over the following two years, suggesting it could be an important clinical marker for people at risk of cognitive decline or other brain-related ill health.

Lead author Professor Jonathan Schott (UCL Dementia Research Center, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology) said: “We found that despite people in this study all being of very similar real ages, there was a very wide variation in how old the computer model predicted their brains to be.

“We hope this technique could one day be a useful tool for identifying people at risk of accelerated aging, so that they may be offered early, targeted prevention strategies to improve their brain health.”

The researchers applied an established MRI based machine learning model to estimate the brain age of members of the Alzheimer’s Research UK-funded Insight 46 study, led by Professor Schott.

Insight 46 study members are drawn from the Medical Research Council National Survey of Health and Development (NSHD) 1946 British Birth Cohort. As the participants had been a part of the study throughout their lives, the researchers were able to compare their current brain ages to various factors from across the life course.

The participants were all between 69 and 72 years old, but their estimated brain ages ranged from 46 to 93.

The researchers were able to explain roughly one third of the variability in brain age by reviewing various factors from across the life course.

This shows a brain and a heart on a scale
Worse cardiovascular health at age 36 predicted a higher brain age later in life. Image is in the public domain

People with worse cardiovascular health at age 36 or 69 had worse brain health, as did those with increased cerebrovascular disease on MRI (relating to blood flow and blood vessels in the brain). This aligns with a previous study led by Professor Schott finding that high blood pressure at age 36 predicted poorer brain health late in life.

The study did not identify any associations between childhood cognitive function, education level or socioeconomic status, and a prematurely aging brain.

The researchers also found that higher brain age was associated with higher concentration of neurofilament light protein (NfL) in the blood. NfL elevation is thought to arise due to nerve cell damage and is increasingly being recognized as a useful marker of neurodegeneration.

Dr. Sara Imarisio, Head of Research at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: “The Insight 46 study is helping reveal more about the complex relationship between the different factors influencing people’s brain health throughout their life.

“Using machine learning, researchers in this study have uncovered yet more evidence that poorer heart health in midlife is linked to greater brain shrinkage in later life. We’re incredibly grateful to the dedicated group of individuals who have contributed to research their entire lives making this work possible.”

Abstract

Life course, genetic, and neuropathological associations with brain age in the British 1946 birth cohort: a population-based study

Background

A neuroimaging-based biomarker termed the brain age is thought to reflect variability in the brain’s ageing process and predict longevity. Using Insight 46, a unique narrow-age birth cohort, we aimed to examine potential drivers and correlates of brain age.

Methods

Participants, born in a single week in 1946 in mainland Britain, have had 24 prospective waves of data collection to date, including MRI and amyloid PET imaging at approximately 70 years old. Using MRI data from a previously defined selection of this cohort, we derived brain-predicted age from an established machine-learning model (trained on 2001 healthy adults aged 18–90 years); subtracting this from chronological age (at time of assessment) gave the brain-predicted age difference (brain-PAD). We tested associations with data from early life, midlife, and late life, as well as rates of MRI-derived brain atrophy.

Findings

Between May 28, 2015, and Jan 10, 2018, 502 individuals were assessed as part of Insight 46. We included 456 participants (225 female), with a mean chronological age of 70·7 years (SD 0·7; range 69·2 to 71·9). The mean brain-predicted age was 67·9 years (8·2, 46·3 to 94·3). Female sex was associated with a 5·4-year (95% CI 4·1 to 6·8) younger brain-PAD than male sex. An increase in brain-PAD was associated with increased cardiovascular risk at age 36 years (β=2·3 [95% CI 1·5 to 3·0]) and 69 years (β=2·6 [1·9 to 3·3]); increased cerebrovascular disease burden (1·9 [1·3 to 2·6]); lower cognitive performance (–1·3 [–2·4 to –0·2]); and increased serum neurofilament light concentration (1·2 [0·6 to 1·9]). Higher brain-PAD was associated with future hippocampal atrophy over the subsequent 2 years (0·003 mL/year [0·000 to 0·006] per 5-year increment in brain-PAD). Early-life factors did not relate to brain-PAD. Combining 12 metrics in a hierarchical partitioning model explained 33% of the variance in brain-PAD.

Interpretation

Brain-PAD was associated with cardiovascular risk, and imaging and biochemical markers of neurodegeneration. These findings support brain-PAD as an integrative summary metric of brain health, reflecting multiple contributions to pathological brain ageing, and which might have prognostic utility.

Here’s what research shows about the mental health benefits of ginger

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Image: Here’s what research shows about the mental health benefits of ginger

Ginger is a natural anti-inflammatory that also offers other health benefits. In fact, the versatile plant can even help boost your mental health.

Ginger (Zingiber officinale) comes from the rhizome or root of a flowering plant native to China, but the spice can grow in any area that is warm and humid. Aside from its use as a natural remedy for digestive disorders, ginger can also be used to address arthritis, memory loss and dementia, and muscle aches and pains.

Thanks to scientific research, experts are beginning to understand how ginger works. To date, research has identified over 100 compounds in ginger. More than 50 of these are antioxidants, which is crucial to brain health since the organ is vulnerable to free radical damage.

Ginger is often used as an anti-inflammatory, making it a popular natural remedy for arthritis. The plant’s anti-inflammatory property can also help people with brain disorders like ADHD, Alzheimer’s, anxiety, brain fog, and depression, which are often associated with chronic inflammation of the brain. Experts believe that ginger’s anti-inflammatory effects on the brain are due to two unique compounds called 6-shogaol and 10-gingerol.

Like the Indian spice turmeric, ginger also has a compound called curcumin. This compound is a natural antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antiviral. Curcumin is a potent herbal brain supplement ingredient that can help address anxiety, brain aging, depression, and neurodegenerative diseases. (Related: What Happens To Your Body When You Start Eating Ginger Every Day.)

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Ginger for brain health

Your body is constantly under attack from oxidative stress. Oxygen in the body splits into single atoms with unpaired electrons, and electrons can often be found in pairs. These atoms, called free radicals, scavenge the body to find other electrons so they can become a pair. When these atoms are paired, they cause damage to cells, DNA, and proteins. Studies show that free radicals are linked to diseases like Alzheimer’s disease, atherosclerosis, cancer, and Parkinson’s, among others.

Your brain is prone to free radical damage since it requires a lot of oxygen. Free radicals are caused by common factors like:

  • Air pollution
  • Fried food
  • Grilled meat
  • Lack of sleep
  • Radiation from your mobile phone and computer
  • Stress

Antioxidants in ginger can also protect the brain from further damage and memory loss after a stroke.

Ginger increases the level of two of the most important brain chemicals: dopamine and serotonin. Depression is strongly associated with deficient levels of both chemicals.

Dopamine is called the “motivation molecule” because it helps you focus and be productive. Dopamine is also in charge of your pleasure-reward system. Meanwhile, serotonin is known as the “happiness molecule” because it helps sustain a positive mood.

The spice is traditionally used to treat memory loss and dementia and research has determined that ginger can help improve other cognitive functions besides memory. According to a study, healthy adults given dried ginger supplements showed improvements in attention, reaction time, and working memory.

People with diabetes also rely on ginger as a natural remedy because it can help control blood sugar, especially if you are diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. Ginger has antioxidants called gingerols that enhance insulin sensitivity and prevent certain neurological diabetic complications.

Ginger is an effective remedy that can minimize the pain of migraine headaches. The spice has similar effects to sumatriptan, a commonly prescribed migraine drug that narrows blood vessels to the brain. But unlike sumatriptan, which is associated with negative side effects, ginger can relieve migraines without any side effects.

Suggested ginger dosages

Ginger, which comes in many forms, can be used as a food and as a supplement. Ginger supplements are available as capsules, crystals, essential oils, extracts, loose powder, and tinctures.

A typical dose of ginger is one gram, and the best way to ingest this dose is by taking two ginger capsules. Most supplements contain at 500 milligrams (mg) per capsule.

Below are some ginger dosage equivalents:

  • One teaspoon of fresh, grated ginger root
  • Two droppers (or two milliliters [ml]) of liquid ginger extract
  • Two pieces of crystallized ginger (about a one-inch square and 1/4 inch thick for each piece)
  • Four cups of ginger tea (Make the tea by steeping two teaspoons of grated ginger in 32 ounces of water for five to 10 minutes.)

Possible ginger side effects and interactions

When consumed as a food, especially fresh, ginger is considered very safe with little to no side effects. However, when too much ginger is consumed in other forms, especially powdered ginger, it may cause side effects such as bloating, gas, heartburn, and nausea.

Ginger also functions as a blood thinner. Avoid taking it as a supplement if you take blood-thinning medication such as warfarin. If you take diabetes or high blood pressure medications, talk to a healthcare professional to determine adjustments to your medication if you want to take supplemental ginger.

Ginger is a versatile herbal remedy that can help relieve digestive upset, and it also offers various benefits for brain health and function. Add fresh ginger to your diet or take it as a supplement to enjoy its many benefits and improve both your physical and mental well-being.

Visit Healing.news to read more articles about ginger and other natural cures that can help improve your mental health.

Sources include:

BeBrainFit.com

LiveScience.com

A salad a day slows brain aging by 11 years

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https://speciality.medicaldialogues.in/a-salad-a-day-slows-brain-aging-by-11-years/

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