Eating at the same time regularly may fight dementia

 Regular meals improve gene expression in the region of the brain associated with body control, which often degenerates in Huntington's disease (HD); a form of dementia. Such eating habits also boost sleep quality and heart health, which are related to HD, in mice with the condition. Researchers believe the findings will also apply to humans and may improve the quality of life for patients with such incurable diseases.

Study author Professor Christopher Colwell, from The University of California, LA, said: 'HD is a genetically caused disease with no known cure.'  Lifestyle changes does not only improve the quality of life but also delay disease progression for HD patients are greatly needed. One group of mice were given food during a six-hour period when they were most active, which is at night as the animals are nocturnal.

The remainder ate whenever they liked. The quantity of food was the same between both groups. Professor Colwell said: 'In humans, the time of food availability would be during the day when food is normally consumed while the fast would be extended past the normal night. 'Feeding schedules play a role in the treatment of Huntington's disease'. Results reveal regular meal plans improve gene expression in the region of the brain associated with body control, known as the striatum, which often degenerates in HD.

Such eating habits also improve diseased mice's ability to run on a treadmill and balance on a beam, as well as assisting their heart rate, which is a sign of cardiovascular health. After three months of treatment, when mice reached the early disease stage, they showed improvements in their locomotor activity rhythm and sleep awakening time. The eating pattern  improved their heart rate variability, suggesting their nervous system dysfunction was improved.

Treated mice exhibited improved motor performance compared to untreated controls, this suggests feeding schedules could play a role in the treatment of HD and could lead to the development of new treatment options for neurodegenerative disorders. Regular meals boost gene expression in the brain region associated with body control. HD is a genetically caused disease with no known cure.

Lifestyle changes can improve the quality of life and delay disease progression for HD patients. Lifestyle interventions have been suggested to be preventative and therapeutic for diseases associated with ageing, such as type-2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and neurodegenerative disorders.
Caloric restriction can prolong life span and protect against a variety of pathological conditions.
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Exercise maintains brain size

Aerobic exercise can improve memory function and maintain brain health as we are getting older. Researchers examined the effects of aerobic exercise on a region of the brain called the hippocampus, which is critical for memory and other brain functions. Brain health decreases with age, with the average brain shrinking by approximately five per cent per decade after the age of 40.

Studies in mice and rats have consistently shown that physical exercise increases the size of the hippocampus but until now evidence in humans has been inconsistent. The researchers systematically reviewed clinical trials which examined the brain scans of different people before and after aerobic exercise programs or in control conditions.

The participants included a mix of healthy adults, people with mild cognitive impairment such as Alzheimer's and people with a clinical diagnosis of mental illness including depression and schizophrenia. Ages ranged from 24 to 76 years with an average age of 66. They examined effects of aerobic exercise, including stationary cycling, walking, and treadmill running. The length of the interventions ranged from three to 24 months with a range of 2-5 sessions per week.

Result showed that while exercise had no effect on total hippocampal volume, it increases the size of the left region of the hippocampus in humans. When you exercise you produce a chemical called brain-derived neurotrophic factor BDNF, which may prevent age-related decline by reducing the deterioration of the brain. Exercise maintains the program for the brain, prevents ageing-related neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's and dementia.
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