of study Life Extension.com, a health science company, ranked the brain health of all 50 states based on seven indicators:
Texas: No. 43 (overall)
- Adults who exercise: 73.7% (#44)
- Adults who eat fruits and vegetables every day: 67.6% (40th place)
- Adults who don't get enough sleep: 35.1% (28th place)
- Meditation Interest Score: 43 (#38)
- Adults who read literature: 35.5% (43rd place)
- Babies breastfed at 12 months: 36.9% (27th place)
- Children under 5 whose parents read to them every day: 25% (#51)
Dr. Donna Newsome, a neurologist at Texas Health Presbyterian Plano, told KERA's Sam Baker how the metrics used contribute to brain health.
We all care about what is good for our bodies. We think about your heart, lungs and kidneys. But often we forget about the brain.
As a society, we are living longer than our parents' generations. Probably 20 years longer than you think in the past. Therefore, to live a good and healthy life, brain health must be good.
exercise
We know it helps the heart. It also helps with problem solving, memory, and mental health.
diet
we know what to eat. Good fats from green leafy vegetables, fresh fruits, nuts, salmon, chicken, and fish.But what are we eating and what are we? Assumption There are two different things to do.
sleep
We need to maintain the quality of our sleep. You can sleep soundly throughout the night without being woken up by stressors in your brain. This helps maintain memory pathways and improves concentration of thought.
Therefore we know what to do. Now we just have to let them do it themselves.
Reading enjoyment is one of the indicators used in this study. How does reading literature for fun help the brain?
Reading for pleasure strengthens your memory and improves your language and literary skills. It helps your cognitive development.
And reading also stimulates your brain. Stimulating your brain means training your brain.
These things can also help reduce your risk of developing dementia as you get older.
Texas ranks last when it comes to children under age 5 whose parents read to them every night. What is it about? How to develop good habits quickly? How to stimulate your brain from a young age?
Reading to your child not only improves their literary skills, but also helps with language development and, in the long run, helps with cognitive development.
They hear the word. They hear those different languages. They hear those stories. It helps to make your neurons and brain cells say, “Let's do a little more.”
This means that children's brains are very young and malleable, so it's the perfect time to stimulate them, even before they become teenagers or adults.
This study used breastfeeding as one of the indicators. How does it relate to brain health?
As you know, we emphasize many times that breastfeeding is good for helping mother and baby bond. It helps the immune system and antibodies from the mother. That's exactly the point. But it also helps with cognitive development.
Now, I can't get into specifics about the basic science behind it all, but it can only help with cognitive development, especially if you're breastfeeding for a long time. In short, breastfeeding is a wonderful thing. Helps strengthen the bond between mom and baby. But it's also very difficult. And I think we sometimes forget to emphasize that this is difficult for many mothers.
So, encourage breastfeeding to build immunity, antibodies, and all sorts of bonding. But I think if you also emphasize that “this will help the cognitive development of your child's brain,” that can also defuse the situation.
Do you have any tips for brain health that you recommend other than those used as indicators in this study?
I think many of us also need to remember that we need to stop and take care of ourselves from time to time. It's okay to say no when someone asks you to do something. It's okay to stop and say, “I need to take a walk around this block.” I have to go get a massage. I need to go out with my friends. Kind of like to unpack yourself.
In America, in Western society, we are always go, go, go, go, go, go, go. When you go to other societies, that doesn't necessarily happen. Know when to stop and take a break. You need to learn more about it here. I think in Western society we need to say that we need to take time for ourselves and take care of ourselves.
resource:
Texas ranks among the worst states in the nation for brain health, according to new study
About life extension research
6 tips to keep your brain healthy
maintain brain health
