Cognitive Health

There are many cellular changes that occur as we age, most of which are greatly affected by nutritional imbalances and chronic (even low-grade) inflammation. The brain is most vulnerable to neuroinflammation and oxidative stress, both of which occur more frequently as we age. Other factors such as obesity and type 2 diabetes can accelerate inflammation and aging processes. The presence of diabetes alone doubles the risk of developing neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD).1 Omega-3 fatty acids are a unique group of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) that must be obtained from dietary sources such as fish oil and algae.

Cognitive function encompasses many domains such as attention, memory, reasoning, and language. Our brains continually change throughout our lives. Unfortunately, as we age our cognitive function declines. We may become more forgetful, or easily distracted, or struggle to concentrate on tasks as easily as we used to. This is all part of the aging process and these changes are completely normal, albeit they can cause frustration!   The normal aging process is different from dementia, which refers to a group of conditions, which cause significant impairments in memory, intellectual function, spatial awareness, language, and behaviour. Unlike the normal aging process,