Most of us can lose our train of thought midway through a sentence but lots of us just put it down to having a ‘senior moment’.But absent-mindedness is not just about ‘senior moments’, says neuropsychologist Dr Joanna Iddon, co-author of Memory Boosters (Hamlyn Press, £6.99)“In a recent study of healthy adults, the average number of memory slips, like putting the coffee jar in the fridge, was around six per week,
irrespective of age, gender and intelligence,” says Dr Iddon.“In fact, it was the younger, busier people that were the most absent-minded. “Remembering is an active process and making the most of your memory involves paying better attention, planning and organising.
“Luckily, there are some tricks and strategies to help you banish those thingumabob moments.”There is no cast iron scientific proof that any supplements can help improve your memory,
but there are some supplements that it has been suggested may have some potential to improve cognition.Vitamin E may not decrease the risk of developing Alzheimer’s, but it may slow its progression.
According to the NHS, if you take vitamin E supplements, don’t take too much as this could be harmful. Taking 540mg or less a day of vitamin E supplements is unlikely to cause any harm.
Studies have suggested that a higher intake of omega-3 fatty acid from foods such as cold-water fish, plant and nut oils, and English walnuts are strongly linked to a lower risk of Alzheimer’s. However, there are not enough studies currently available to say whether omega-3 supplements will give these benefits.
