When asked, Americans rate Alzheimer’s disease as their second most-feared illness, following cancer. Currently, there are five million people living with this disease in the United States. Recent research suggests that diet may play an important role in the cause and prevention of Alzheimer’s disease, indicating that there may be something each of us can do to stave off this devastating illness.

Senior Living Residences is the first assisted living company in the nation to offer the Memory Preservation Nutrition® program incorporating select foods and spices into everyday diet to improve overall brain health. SLR developed and implemented the program in conjunction with internationally recognized expert Nancy Emerson Lombardo, PhD. Integrating information from hundreds of studies looking at the connections between diet, cognitive health, aging, and Alzheimer’s disease and its related risk factors, the Memory Preservation Nutrition® program seeks to improve brain function, decrease the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, and slow down the progression of Alzheimer’s disease for an individual who has already been diagnosed.

And because food that is good for you should also taste good, our talented chefs have done an outstanding job of creating delicious "brain healthy" recipes!

Foods & Spices that Protect Cognitive Health

The main foods that are indicated through the Memory Preservation Nutrition® program include fresh fruits and vegetables, especially leafy green vegetables, specific spices, whole grains, and foods containing omega-three fatty acids. We also focus on reducing cholesterol and substituting healthy fats (omega 3 and mono-unsaturated fats) for saturated and Trans fats foods. Another major feature of the program is reducing the amount of refined sugar and high fructose corn syrup in the overall diet. All of the healthy foods featured in the program in the right combinations provide the body with important disease-fighting antioxidants, nutrients with anti-inflammatory properties and also help to regulate blood sugar. These changes are all important for brain health.

In 2009, the Journal of the American Medical Association reported findings from a compelling study describing a direct connection between diet and cognitive health. One of the most comprehensive studies on diet and cognition to date, researchers found that individuals who follow a “Mediterranean-type diet” have a reduced risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. In the study, individuals who adhered to a Mediterranean diet had a 32-40% decreased risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease. In the same study, adherence to the diet combined with physical activity resulted in a 61-67% risk reduction for developing the disease. The Memory Preservation Nutrition® program includes all of the basic elements of the well-known and well-documented Mediterranean diet and goes well beyond it with its cognitive health protective factors.

The Memory Preservation Nutrition® works in part by promoting overall body health and can benefit people of any age whether or not they have memory loss. Individuals researching Alzheimer’s disease believe changes and damage in the brain begins well before there are any symptoms of the disease. Following the Memory Preservation Nutrition® program can be an important step to take to protect your own brain health - even if you are not noticing changes to your memory.

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