Midlife Brain Fog? This Could Be Why…

Remember your twenties? Whether it was a glorious age of footloose freedom and unabashed adventure or nothing more than an uninspiring extension of your teenage years, a clinical psychologist has dubbed this period ‘the defining decade’ of your life.

I don’t expect she considered health status part of what defines them, but maybe she should have. That’s because a new study shows that poor inflammation-promoting lifestyle habits in twentysomethings worsen memory and cognition just twenty years later.

But don’t worry if you missed the message and are currently suffering from foggy thinking; it’s not too late…

Key Takeaways

• Inflammation-promoting habits in early adulthood can lead to cognitive decline and brain fog in midlife.
• Higher levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (CRP) in young adults are associated with poorer cognitive performance in their forties and fifties.
• Reducing inflammation through physical activity, quitting smoking, stress reduction, and an anti-inflammatory diet and supplementation regimen can help maintain cognitive health now and in the future, even if you’re already suffering from brain fog.

The Link Between Dementia and Inflammation

The link between dementia and inflammation goes back decades, with some scientists suggesting inflammation may be more important earlier than later in the disease process. Even so, brain health-inflammation studies have focused almost entirely on seniors.

For instance, a study of 5,257 men and women with an average age of 65 showed that overall cognitive scores went down over eight years as a measure of inflammation called high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) went up.

Since seniors have been studied so well, scientists at UC San Francisco adopted a different approach, as explained by Dr. Amber Bahorik.

“We wanted to see if health and lifestyle habits in early adulthood may play a part in cognitive skills in midlife, which in turn may influence the likelihood of dementia in later life.”

High Inflammation Leads to Worse Executive Function

Their study took data from a long-term heart trial that began in 1985. Their analysis included 2,364 men and women aged 18 to 30 at enrollment. Over an 18-year period, they had CRP levels checked four times. This showed levels were consistently higher in 39% of the group, moderate/increasing in 16%, and lower stable in 45%.

Five years after the last measurement, they had a battery of cognitive tests when most participants were in their forties and fifties. The findings showed that 10% performed poorly on tests of processing speed and memory among those with low CRP levels, while this doubled in the other two groups.

After adjusting the findings to account for the cognitive effects of age, demographics, physical activity, the APOE4 gene, and total cholesterol, the researchers found only the moderate and higher inflammation groups had impaired processing speed. However, only those with consistently higher CRP had a worse executive function.

Executive function includes working memory, problem-solving, and impulse control. It’s important because it allows you to learn, plan, and manage everyday tasks. When impaired, your decision-making is slowed, reaction times decrease, and your thinking becomes more difficult.

The results of this study were in line with another study on young-onset dementia in which high C-reactive protein levels in the blood were one of 15 risk factors. Fortunately, there are many natural ways to lower inflammation regardless of age. And the research shows it’s never too late.

The Anti-Inflammation Diet

“Inflammation plays a significant role in cognitive aging and may begin in early adulthood,” said Kristine Yaffe, senior author of the study published in the journal Neurology in July. “There is likely a direct and indirect effect of inflammation on cognition. Fortunately, there are ways to reduce inflammation – such as by increasing physical activity and quitting smoking – that might be promising paths for prevention.”

That’s good advice, but much more can be done to lower inflammation, whether in your twenties or in your senior years. Additional strategies include lowering stress, losing weight, and getting a good night’s sleep. Most importantly, eat an anti-inflammatory diet.

The typical Western diet promotes inflammation, emphasizing adulterated omega-6 fats, sugar, and refined carbohydrates.

An anti-inflammatory diet focuses on fruits, vegetables, legumes, oily fish, olive oil, culinary herbs and spices, nuts, and green tea. It is also nutritious, packed with antioxidants and phytochemicals, and helps maintain steady blood sugar levels.

Try adding these anti-inflammatory superstars to your diet:

• Fish: All species of fish and shellfish have anti-inflammatory properties. Oily fish such as salmon, mackerel, sardines and herring are even better.
• Vegetables: onions, kale, spinach, broccoli, turnip greens, sweet potato, chili peppers
• Fruits: berries, avocado, grapes, cherries
• Spices: ginger, turmeric, garlic, cayenne pepper
• Nuts: Brazil, macadamia

Inflammation-Fighting Supplements

It’s also important to supplement with inflammation-fighters, especially if you’re suffering from brain fog, digestive distress, muscle or joint complaints, or low energy, as these have all been linked to chronic inflammation.

The top anti-inflammatory supplements include:

• Curcumin: the active compound in turmeric, inhibits inflammatory enzymes and cytokines. It has shown promise in reducing inflammation associated with joint pain. It can also cross the blood-brain barrier and help brain cells.
• Omega-3 Fatty Acids: Omega 3’s, particularly EPA and DHA found in fish oil, help reduce the production of inflammatory molecules. In addition, they also promote the production of anti-inflammatory compounds in the body and brain.
• Resveratrol: Resveratrol is a powerful antioxidant with anti-inflammatory properties found in grapes and berries. It has been shown to inhibit inflammatory pathways and reduce oxidative stress. Resveratrol may help protect the body and brain against chronic inflammation.
• Vitamin D: Vitamin D plays a crucial role in regulating the immune system and reducing inflammation in the body and the brain.
• Green Tea Extract: Green tea is rich in polyphenols, particularly EGCG, which have strong anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. It has been shown to reduce inflammation markers and can cross the blood-brain barrier.
• Boswellia: Boswellia, a powerful anti-inflammatory agent, works through multiple pathways to reduce inflammation in the body. Its primary mechanism involves inhibiting the 5-LOX enzyme, which leads to decreased production of inflammatory leukotrienes.
• Luteolin: This plant-derived antioxidant flavonoid combats brain inflammation by reducing the production of inflammatory cytokines. Furthermore, luteolin suppresses key inflammatory pathways while activating antioxidant defenses, resulting in a comprehensive anti-inflammatory effect in the nervous system.
• Skullcap Extract: Ancient Chinese Medicine’s skullcap extract, rich in flavonoids like baicalein, baicalin, and wogonin, combats brain inflammation through multiple pathways. It inhibits the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and suppresses the activation of microglia, the brain’s immune cells. Additionally, skullcap’s potent antioxidant properties and ability to modulate inflammatory pathways contribute to its overall neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory effects in the brain.

Our Takeaway

The message is clear: If young adults want to retain their memories in middle age and beyond, they’d better focus on living a healthy lifestyle without delay. But the research also clearly shows that it’s never too late to improve the function of your brain.

Countless studies have shown how making simple lifestyle changes like those outlined above can dramatically impact inflammation levels in the brain, even in those already suffering from memory loss.

Listen, inflammation is such a strong predictor of premature aging that there’s even a term for it—inflammaging. So, don’t delay. Make every effort to fight inflammation in your brain and body today, and watch your memory and focus sharpen and your overall physical health improve.

Summary

Midlife brain fog may be linked to poor lifestyle habits that promote inflammation during early adulthood. A study from UC San Francisco found that individuals with higher levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), an inflammation marker, in their twenties and thirties performed worse on cognitive tests in their forties and fifties. This suggests that inflammation in early adulthood can impact cognitive function later in life, highlighting the importance of adopting anti-inflammatory lifestyle habits early on. Effective strategies include physical activity, quitting smoking, stress reduction, and following an anti-inflammatory diet and supplementation regimen.