If you’re an older woman who wants to preserve your memory, consider yoga. A recent study from UCLA found that Kundalini yoga offered many benefits to memory and cognition for those at risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. These included the restoration of neural pathways, prevention of brain matter decline, and decreasing aging and inflammation-associated biomarkers. These improvements were not observed in subjects who were provided standard memory training exercises.

Health Researchers at UCLA have been conducting a series of studies into the comparative effects of yoga and traditional memory enhancement training for the past 15 years. They set out to compare the impact on slowing cognitive decline and evaluating other risk factors for dementia. Findings from the study were recently published in the journal Translational Psychiatry,

The study was led by UCLA Health psychiatrist Dr. Helen Lavretsky of the Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior and sought to find out whether Kundalini yoga could be used early on to prevent cognitive decline and paths to Alzheimer's disease among postmenopausal women.

Compared to men women have about twice the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease due to several factors including longer life expectancy, alterations in estrogen levels during menopause, and family history.

A group of over 60 women aged 50 and up who had self-reported memory concerns and risk factors for cerebrovascular disease were invited to participate. They were patients at a UCLA cardiology clinic. Women were divided into two groups. The first attended weekly Kundalini yoga classes for 12 weeks and the other group participated in weekly memory enhancement training at the same time. Each group was given daily homework assignments.

Meditation and breathwork are hallmarks of Kundalini yoga versus physical poses. The UCLA Longevity Center utilized various exercises including stories to recall items on a list, and organizing a grocery list of items, to help retain or improve the long-term memory of the subjects.

Women’s cognition, subjective memory, depression, and anxiety after the initial 12 weeks were assessed by the researchers. In addition, blood samples were taken to test for gene expression of markers of aging and molecules linked with inflammation, which contribute to the risk for Alzheimer’s disease. Some patients were also evaluated with MRIs to look at changes in brain matter.

Several improvements in the Kundalini yoga group were observed by the researchers compared to the memory enhancement training group. These included improvements in subjective memory complaints, prevention of brain matter declines, increased connection in the hippocampus, which controls stress-related memories, and improvement in various markers of inflammation and anti-aging molecules.

"That is what yoga is good for -- to reduce stress, to improve brain health, subjective memory performance, and reduce inflammation and improve neuroplasticity," Lavretsky said.

In the memory enhancement training group, long-term memory showed the most improvements.

Changes in anxiety, depression, stress, or resilience were not seen in either group, but Lavretsky noted it’s likely due to the participant's good health at the start of the study and none were depressed.

Further study is needed to evaluate the long-term impact of Kundalini yoga in the prevention or delay of Alzheimer’s disease but the study showed that use of yoga and memory training could offer benefits to the cognition of older women.

"Ideally, people should do both because they do train different parts of the brain and have different overall health effects," Lavretsky said. "Yoga has this anti-inflammatory, stress-reducing, anti-aging neuroplastic brain effect which would be complementary to memory training."

In addition to Kundalini yoga, here are other tips to prevent Alzheimer’s disease:

1.    Stay social. Keeping social connections is important to prevent depression and anxiety, which may raise the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.2

2.    Eat green leafy vegetables most days of the week. As part of the MIND diet, green leafy vegetables are low in calories but high in antioxidants to reduce inflammation.3

3.    Eat fatty fish for omega-3 fatty acids. These have been shown to reduce anxiety in post-menopausal women. 4

4.    Reduce red meat and processed meat. Both have been associated with an increased risk of dementia in a large UK study. 5

5.    Include berries a few times per week for antioxidants. The research includes them as part of the MIND diet.

6.    Include nuts and seeds in your diet. These are a source of polyunsaturated fat as well as magnesium and phytochemicals, which help regular blood pressure. Diets containing regular intake of various nuts and seeds (a few handfuls per week) have been shown to reduce the risk of dementia. 6

7.    Be moderate with alcohol. Small amounts of alcohol may be protective against cognitive decline in individuals over 60.7

8.    Keep moving. Yoga is just one exercise that’s great for your mind. Be sure to include 30 minutes of walking, swimming, jogging, or other cardio exercises 5 or more days per week.

Lisa Andrews, MEd, RD, LD

References:

1.    Adrienne Grzenda, Prabha Siddarth, Michaela M. Milillo, Yesenia Aguilar-Faustino, Dharma S. Khalsa, Helen Lavretsky. Cognitive and immunological effects of yoga compared to memory training in older women at risk for Alzheimer’s disease. Translational Psychiatry, 2024; 14 (1) DOI: 10.1038/s41398-024-02807-0

2. Agarwal P, Leurgans SE, Agrawal S, Aggarwal NT, Cherian LJ, James BD, Dhana K, Barnes LL, Bennett DA, Schneider JA. Association of Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay and Mediterranean Diets With Alzheimer Disease Pathology. Neurology. 2023 May 30;100(22):e2259-e2268. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000207176.

3. Sommerlad A, Kivimäki M, Larson EB, Röhr S, Shirai K, Singh-Manoux A, Livingston G. Social participation and risk of developing dementia. Nat Aging. 2023 May;3(5):532-545. doi: 10.1038/s43587-023-00387-0. Epub 2023 May 18. PMID: 37202513.

4. Grigolon RB, Ceolin G, Deng Y, Bambokian A, Koning E, Fabe J, Lima M, Gerchman F, Soares CN, Brietzke E, Gomes FA. Effects of nutritional interventions on the severity of depressive and anxiety symptoms of women in the menopausal transition and menopause: a systematic review, meta-analysis, and meta-regression. Menopause. 2023 Jan 1;30(1):95-107. doi: 10.1097/GME.0000000000002098. Epub 2022 Nov 7. PMID: 36576445.

5. Zhang H, Greenwood DC, Risch HA, Bunce D, Hardie LJ, Cade JE. Meat consumption and risk of incident dementia: cohort study of 493,888 UK Biobank participants. Am J Clin Nutr. 2021 Jul 1;114(1):175-184. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/nqab028. PMID: 33748832; PMCID: PMC8246598.

6. Liu X, Morris MC, Dhana K, Ventrelle J, Johnson K, Bishop L, Hollings CS, Boulin A, Laranjo N, Stubbs BJ, Reilly X, Carey VJ, Wang Y, Furtado JD, Marcovina SM, Tangney C, Aggarwal NT, Arfanakis K, Sacks FM, Barnes LL. Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay (MIND) study: Rationale, design and baseline characteristics of a randomized control trial of the MIND diet on cognitive decline. Contemp Clin Trials. 2021 Mar;102:106270. doi: 10.1016/j.cct.2021.106270. Epub 2021 Jan 9. PMID: 33434704; PMCID: PMC8042655.

7. Miranda A, Gómez-Gaete C, Mennickent S. Dieta mediterránea y sus efectos benéficos en la prevención de la enfermedad de Alzheimer [Role of Mediterranean diet on the prevention of Alzheimer disease]. Rev Med Chil. 2017 Apr;145(4):501-507. 

8. Mewton L, Visontay R, Hoy N, Lipnicki DM, Sunderland M, Lipton RB, Guerchet M, Ritchie K, Najar J, Scarmeas N, Kim KW, Riedel Heller S, van Boxtel M, Jacobsen E, Brodaty H, Anstey KJ, Haan M, Scazufca M, Lobo E, Sachdev PS; Collaborators from the Cohort Studies of Memory in an International Consortium (COSMIC). The relationship between alcohol use and dementia in adults aged more than 60 years: a combined analysis of prospective, individual-participant data from 15 international studies. Addiction. 2023 Mar;118(3):412-424. doi: 10.1111/add.16035. Epub 2022 Sep 4. PMID: 35993434; PMCID: PMC9898084.

What is Kundalini yoga?

Kundalini yoga is a spiritual and physical practice that aims to awaken the dormant energy believed to be coiled at the base of the spine. This energy, often referred to as Kundalini energy, is considered the life force or primal energy within an individual according to Hindu and yogic philosophy.

Kundalini yoga incorporates various techniques including physical postures (asanas), breathing exercises (pranayama), chanting (mantra), meditation, and the use of specific hand gestures (mudras) to activate and balance the flow of energy throughout the body.

The practice is deeply rooted in ancient Indian tradition and was popularized in the West by Yogi Bhajan in the late 20th century. Kundalini yoga is often associated with dynamic movements, rapid breathing patterns, and the repetition of mantras to stimulate energy flow and promote spiritual awareness. It's renowned for its transformative effects on both the body and mind, promoting strength, flexibility, mental clarity, and a sense of inner peace.