Exercise, HRT, and a dash of olive oil may save postmenopausal women’s memory.

ARecent animal studies suggest that hormone therapy extended for more than 10 years can exacerbate memory impairments and irreversibly damage cells. However, aerobic fitness regimens have been shown to spare brain tissue and cognitive function. In addition, interactions between estrogen treatment and exercise have been reported to produce positive results in lab animals:

(a) HRT treatment up to 10 years in duration spares gray matter in prefrontal cortex and is associated with better performance on measures of executive function, whereas HRT treatment beyond 10 years in duration increases the degree of prefrontal deterioration and amplifies the decline on measures of executive functioning

(b) higher fitness levels augment the effects of shorter durations of hormone treatment and reduces the declines associated with prolonged hormone treatment.1.

In addition to HRT and aerobic exercises, a healthy diet consisting of olive oil products and fish can help support healthy memory. One important study revealed that high MUFA (monounsaturated fatty acids such as those found in olive oil, which is a main component of the highly acclaimed Mediterranean Diet) and PUFA (polyunsaturated fatty acids found in fish) energy intakes and total energy intake were significantly associated with a better cognitive performance in a 8.5-year follow-up. In this prospective population-based study on older non-demented subjects with a typical Mediterranean diet, high MUFA and PUFA intakes appeared to be protective against Age-related Cognitive Decline.2

References:
1. Neurobiology of Aging.Volume 28, Issue 2  ,  February 2007,  Pages 179-185
2. Neurobiology of Aging. Volume 27, Issue 11  ,  November 2006,  Pages 1694-1704