Phosphatidylserine - The powerful compound that fights off memory decline

A dwindling memory as we get older is a fact of life… A scary fact of life. It’s something we all try to ignore & distract ourselves from, but ignoring it only makes it worse.

Globally, researchers from the World Health Organization (WHO) have concluded that roughly  55 million people suffer from dementia, and that number is expected to grow at a substantial rate over the next few years…

The experts at WHO say that by 2030, a mere 7 years from the time this blog is being written, the number of people diagnosed with dementia will grow to 78 million. Even more shocking - in less than 30 years, over 139 million people are expected to be battling dementia. In other words, the number of dementia patients in 30 years will almost be  triple  the amount it is now!

And unfortunately, there haven’t been many breakthrough advancements in medical science to help with age-related memory loss. It seems like every few months, we hear about an exciting piece of news regarding a cure, but then we never hear about it again. Take for example the over  45,000 different scholarly articles published on the causes, treatments, and cures for Alzheimer's since the 1970s, but it still feels like no cure is in sight… 

For those of you who are concerned about your (or a loved one’s) memory, it’s easy to feel helpless. 

But it’s important to not lose hope.

Just because humanity hasn’t found a cure for memory-based illnesses such as Alzheimer’s and dementia, it doesn’t mean there’s nothing you can do to fight it. As a matter of fact, there are quite a few ways to slow down age-related memory loss - and it all starts with your diet.

In this blog, we’re going to get into the specifics of a chemical found in our brains that’s vital for a healthy mind & sharp memory, called “phosphatidylserine”.

Phosphatidylserine (PS for short) is a compound found in cell membranes whose role is to maintain the proper structure and function of these membranes.The powerful & unique quality of phosphatidylserine is that it helps brain cells communicate with each other effectively and helps brain cells to respond to changes in the environment. It also helps to keep the brain cells healthy and working properly, which is important for good memory and thinking abilities. Phosphatidylserine can be thought of as a "memory librarian" in the brain. Just as a librarian helps to organize, preserve and retrieve books in a library, phosphatidylserine helps to organize, preserve and retrieve memories in the brain. Specifically, by maintaining the structure and function of brain cells, phosphatidylserine helps to facilitate communication between cells which is crucial for memory formation and recall.

As we age, variousstudies have shown that the levels of PS in the brain decrease, which can lead to age-related declines in brain function. And although it may be natural to see a reduction in PS levels, it certainly shouldn’t make us feel we can’t do anything about it. Eating a diet consisting of foods that contain phosphatidylserine has been shown to slow down the process of age-related memory loss.

Here are some foods you can incorporate into your diet that contains phosphatidylserine:

-Pine Pollen 

-Soybeans

-Meat

-Organ meats such as liver

-Egg yolks

Most foods that contain phosphatidylserine are meat. But lowering meat intake has a direct impact on reducing risk of  Alzheimer's  and Dementia. So how can you get enough phosphatidylserine? That is were non-meat superfoods, such as pine pollen that contain this memory-boosting compound shine. Mostsources show that pine pollen consists of 2% phosphatidylserine, with some studies saying it’s even higher. 

Of course, eating these foods won’t necessarily cure memory-related illnesses but it can help prevent and remarkably aid in slowing down memory loss. Like the saying goes; an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!

So if you’re concerned about memory loss, it’s crucial to not try and distract yourself from reality…  trying to forget about the fact of memory loss can lead to catastrophic effects as you live your life. After all, suffering from memory-based illnesses not only puts an overbearing burden on the patient, but even more-so on their loved-ones. It’s almost as if their loved ones see them pass away before they’ve passed away. Because of this,  it’s important to treat your body and mind with care so that you can prevent yourself or someone you love from having to deal with age-related memory loss.

Photo by Milad Fakurian on Unsplash