I guess Bugs Bunny knew something that we didn’t because a recent article in the New York Times reports that long-term use of the antioxidant beta carotene may help prevent mental decline in men.

Men who took the antioxidant for three years or less had no improvement on standard tests of memory, but those who took it for 15 years or more scored consistently higher on all tests. The differences were small, but the authors pointed out that even modest improvements in verbal memory predict substantial differences in rates of dementia.

“The broader message,” said Francine Grodstein, the lead author and an associate professor of medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, “is that this is the first study that has shown that there are ways, through fairly straightforward lifestyle modifications, that we can help memory as we get older.”

The easiest way to improve your health is to improve your diet and increase your exercise. I am always amazed at the power of a healthy lifestyle. The fact that rates of dementia could be lowered by something as simple as a carrot is a thrilling discovery. Think about some easy changes you can make to your lifestyle and go for it!

Being healthy can significantly reduce health insurance costs. IBD is an authorized agency for BCBSNC and our goal is to provide you with the most options for affordable NC health insurance. Working together, we can succeed in optimizing your health and your health care costs!

Tags: Healthy Living //