People often assume that individuals having disease conditions are only required to maintain a healthy lifestyle, but in reality, a healthy lifestyle is important for each and every individual. Eating the right food in adequate quantities at proper time intervals with optimum physical activity can help in keeping the diseases at bay. A healthy lifestyle helps in fighting a number of diseases including but not limited to blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, obesity, and weight management, anxiety, etc. It also helps in combating stress.
Mild cognitive impairment[1] is one such disease where maintaining a healthy lifestyle with adequate nutrition can prevent nutrient deficiency related mild cognitive impairment and physical activities increases the blood circulation providing nutrients for maintaining the cognitive power and preventing its decline.
Lifestyle Changes For Mild Cognitive Impairment
There are many studies which support that having a healthy lifestyle with educate amount of nutrients with lots of fruits vegetables in the diet moderate physical activity and social engagement can help in improving mild cognitive impairment.
Diet. Maintain a diet which is rich in omega-3 fatty acids as it is good for mild cognitive impairment. Consume antioxidants in moderate amounts as there are studies conflict their efficacies in patients with mild cognitive impairment. Eat food which is low in bad food and high in good fat. Eat food rich in carbohydrates, fiber, proteins, and unsaturated fat. Eating lots of fresh fruits and vegetables is an excellent lifestyle change for mild cognitive impairment.[2]
Exercise. Modern technology has eased people’s life and there are fewer efforts to do day-to-day activities, people sit in front of TVs or play with the phone. There is limited or no physical activity. People should actively get involved in increasing physical activities in the form of exercise or walking. The physical activity improves circulation of blood to the brain and the body which helps in providing nutrients for the body and also helps in fighting mild cognitive impairment.[3] Start with a short duration low impact exercise and then gradually increase its intensity. Regular walking or exercise and being physically active is an effective lifestyle change for mild cognitive impairment
Cardiovascular Functioning. Certain disease conditions such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and sugar can lead to stroke. A stroke can cause damage to the nerves causing mild cognitive impairment and which if untreated can result in dementia.[4] Maintaining good cardiovascular health will help in preserving the functioning of the brain.
Brain Stimulating Activities. Involving oneself in brain-stimulating activities such as playing challenging games, reading books, learning languages etc, increases the connection between two neurons which preserves the functioning of the brain and decreases the chances of mild cognitive impairment. An active brain fights the regular aging process of memory loss. Especially people in the middle age should get involved in more brain-stimulating activities as it helps in increasing their memory power in the later stage of life.[5]
Social Engagements. Involve yourself in social engagement as much as possible as it keeps the brain engaged in activities. This is a good lifestyle change for mild cognitive impairment.
Food Supplements. Increase the intake of food supplements containing B vitamins, folic acid and Vitamin C which are good for nerve health.[6] Certain forms of choline are also found to be effective for mild cognitive impairment.
Smoking. It is most commonly practiced by both genders of all ages. It causes oxidative stress resulting in damage to the brain.[7]
Drug Abuse And Alcohol. Better to stay away from the substances which interfere with the normal functioning of the brain. Alcohol should be consumed only in moderate amounts.
Regular Checkups. Along with other routine checkup people should also for brain imaging to check optimal functioning of the brain. Dementia usually starts with my cognitive impairment because of degenerative diseases, expansion of ventricles[8], etc. which can be diagnosed at early stage.
Conclusion
Healthy lifestyle should be part of every individual’s life. It not only helps people to fight against diseases but also helps you increase your longevity and adds energy to your life. Mild cognitive impairment can be controlled with adequate nutrition, physical acidity and stopping of smoking, drug abuse, and alcohol.
- https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/mild-cognitive-impairment/symptoms-causes/syc-20354578#:~:text=Mild%20cognitive%20impairment%20(MCI)%20is,%2C%20language%2C%20thinking%20or%20judgment.
- https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/alzheimers-disease/in-depth/15-simple-diet-tweaks-cut-alzheimers-risk/art-20342112
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5934999/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4164290/
- https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/cognitive-health-and-older-adults
- https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/vitamin-b/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25217401/#:~:text=The%20results%20of%20our%20study,oxidative%20damage%20through%20its%20biopotency.
- https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/vascular-dementia
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