Gold Fish Memories and Mediterranean diets

I got up from the study to go to the bedroom to pick up something which I urgently wanted. By the time I reached there, I had forgotten what it was. I used to call this “senior moments” and ignore it. But a recent personal review leads me to believe that the senior moments are not too infrequent.  

But the question is when does one become senior enough to have senior moments? With life expectancy increasing and as per some reports WHO redefining old age (I am yet to see it!), would senior moments definition also change? WHO does say in its facts on aging - Fact 4: When it comes to health, there is no 'typical' older person. 10 facts on ageing and health (who.int) This is helpful and hope giving. Which means that I should not be talking about senior moments. I may not be a typical old person.

Maybe I should say, I have a goldfish memory. But the facts regarding goldfish too are changing!  Scientists have found that goldfish have good memory. Oxford University: Goldfish do have good memories, scientists find - BBC News 

But the reality is that some faculties keep changing (declining) as age advances. Recently a friend of mine asked, can you tell me one faculty that has not changed (he meant declined!) in the last decade. I was telling him, but my “wisdom” seems to have improved. Wisdom, I mean, I know more about what not to do, from the various mistakes I have made, though a bit of senior moments or goldfish memory is part of life.

With the current decade being one of "healthy aging" It is important to recognize that we need to prepare to age well. 

So, what does one do? Some say diets are good to preserve memory. I was about to consider a Mediterranean diet, but a recent study seems to have disproved this. 

Diet for Prevention of Cognitive Decline in Older Adults | NEJM Resident 360

Disappointing though, it saves some money. This who want to read or get a quick summary of this can follow the link here.

https://www.nejm.org/do/10.1056/NEJMdo007170/full/requestType=popUp&relatedArticle=10.1056%2FNEJMoa2302368

Some say Lego helps! Occupational therapists say that using Legos as part of cognitive therapy plan can help practice important cognitive skills such as verbal fluency, attention, executive functioning, and visual-spatial skills. Lego adults are not cheap though. For a senior citizen living on a pension or savings, purchasing Lego Adults is not a feasible option.

There have been many theories on what could emerge as potential treatment options. Including stem cell transplantation, Augmented reality, and Memory prosthesis even!

But these are dreams for the elite! Those interested can find more details here. Delaying memory decline: different options and emerging solutions | Translational Psychiatry (nature.com)

And then there was this recent much-published news in medical circles on Lecanemab. A wonder drug as the media says! Lecanemab works by removing a sticky protein from the brain that is believed to cause Alzheimer’s disease to advance. But the reality is far from wonder! “Lecanemab reduced markers of amyloid in early Alzheimer’s disease and resulted in moderately less decline on measures of cognition and function than placebo at 18 months but was associated with adverse events. Longer trials are warranted to determine the efficacy and safety of lecanemab in early Alzheimer’s disease.”  Lecanemab in Early Alzheimer’s Disease | NEJM

So as some of us wait for the inevitable aging to catch up, what do we hold on to? Recently reading the Good Book, I came across this verse “I’ve been carrying you on my back from the day you were born, And I’ll keep on carrying you when you’re old. I’ll be there, bearing you when you’re old and gray. I’ve done it and will keep on doing it, carrying you on my back, saving you."

A hope to hold on to, that all of us will be carried! 

And some friends who play Lego with us and invite us to Mediterranean dinners – good for the taste buds, though may not be for brain cells!