This week, Bobbi Conner talks with Dr. Amanda Overstreet about maintaining brain health and reducing risk of cognitive decline in the older adult years. Dr. Overstreet is a geriatrician and Interim Medical Director of Geriatrics at MUSC.
TRANSCRIPT:
Conner: I'm Bobbi Conner for South Carolina Public Radio with Health Focus here at the radio studio for the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. Scientific research indicates that there are small steps we can take to reduce our risk of cognitive decline and help maintain brain health. Doctor Amanda Overstreet is here to talk about the details. Doctor Overstreet is a geriatrician and Interim Medical Director of Geriatrics at MUSC. Doctor Overstreet, when we mention brain health, especially in the older adult years, what are we really talking about?
Dr. Overstreet: Brain health really refers to a person's cognition. And so, I think about that as someone's memory. So, the ability to recall recent events as well as events that happened a long time ago, but also something that I would describe as executive function. So, the ability to manage your everyday affairs like shopping, meal preparation, even things like managing your medications or paying your bills.
Conner: What things can we do to positively impact our brain health?
Dr. Overstreet: A lot of what we do for our physical health actually positively impacts our brain health. So, first and foremost, you want to manage any chronic medical conditions that can adversely affect your brain health. So, this would be controlling things like high blood pressure or diabetes, or even taking a statin or cholesterol medication if you have high cholesterol. These are all things that are protective for brain health.
Conner: What other actions can we take regarding lifestyle and routines that will benefit our brain health?
Dr. Overstreet: There's more and more evidence that exercise, and specifically walking, is great for brain health. There's evidence that exercise reduces the chance of someone developing an issue like dementia. But there's also evidence that if you already have some cognitive issues, that exercise can slow the progression of those cognitive issues. So, I really counsel my patients on the importance of exercise. The other things that we can do are avoiding potentially harmful medications. So, there's evidence that some medications, like sedatives or sleep aids that when used long term, can increase someone's chances of developing dementia. There is also evidence that drinking excessive alcohol contributes to cognitive issues and dementia. So, these are some minor kind of everyday things, but in the long term, really make a positive benefit in terms of brain health.
Conner: When you talk about the importance of exercise for brain health, how much should we be exercising and what would our routine look like?
Dr. Overstreet: The current recommendation is that most adults should be getting 150 minutes of aerobic exercise per week. So, for most people, this looks like walking for about 30 minutes five days per week. I counsel my patients, you don't have to run a marathon. Even just getting out and walking in your neighborhood or walking at the mall is great for both your cardiovascular health, so your heart health, but also your brain health.
Conner: Doctor Overstreet, thanks for this information about brain health in the older adult years.
Dr. Overstreet: You're welcome.
Conner: From the radio studio for the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, I'm Bobbi Conner for South Carolina Public Radio.
Health Focus transcripts are intended to accurately represent the original audio version of the program; however, some discrepancies or inaccuracies may exist. The audio format serves as the official record of Health Focus programming.
