brain shrinkage

All that fat you've been told NOT to eat? Turns out your brain needs it after all.

If you've been taking my advice, you never stopped eating it in the first place -- and your gray matter is almost certainly all in order.

But if you've been missing out, it's time to play catch-up and fast -- because the latest research shows that seniors who eat the most fatty fish are practically guaranteed not to suffer dementia.

Of the 160 seniors tracked for 15 years, just 3.2 percent of those who ate the most fish eventually developed either mild cognitive impairment or full-blown dementia -- versus 30.8 percent of those who ate little to no fish.

That's a WHALE of a difference!

MRIs revealed that the fish-eating seniors also had more gray matter -- and in case it's not obvious, more is definitely better on this one.

Even fish-eaters found to have the "brain shrinkage" associated with dementia swam ahead of the school -- because they were 40 percent less likely to suffer from cognitive problems than those who ate no fish.

All good, but not exactly breaking news. Fatty fish has proven to be so healthy so often that even the mainstream has come around on this one. But they'll tell you the fats in fish are somehow special... while the ones in meat are dangerous.

Nonsense!

I don't care if you get your fats from fish, pigs, cows or chipmunks -- if it's an animal fat or fishy oil, it's good for your body. And with few exceptions (like coconut and peanut oils), vegetable oils are dangerous and deadly.

The key with animal fats is to make sure yours are fresh from the farm -- because grass-fed meats and free-range eggs are loaded with the same omega-3s that make fatty fish so good for you and your brain.

How to reverse cognitive decline

Next time some holier-than-thou vegan starts blabbering about how man wasn't designed to eat meat, ask him if he knows what powers the human brain.

The answer ain't tofu.

Your brain was specifically designed to function on a diet of the fats and nutrients you can only get from meat and fish.

Studies have consistently found that low levels of B12 lead to the highest brain problems -- and that boosting your levels can prevent or even reverse that damage.

The latest research adds even more proof.

One study found that seniors with the lowest levels of vitamin B12 had the highest risk of cognitive shortcomings, including low scores on thought, reason, and memory tests. And it's no wonder! Low levels of B12 can literally cause your brain to shrink.

Sound like fun? Of course not -- but that's exactly what you're in for if you stick to a plant-based diet, because you won't find B12 in leaves, roots, and fungi. You'll find it in meats -- especially organ meats -- as well as fish and dairy.

But if low levels of B12 will turn a mind to mush, high levels can actually save it. Megadoses of B vitamins can slow or even stop brain shrinkage and reverse the cognitive slide linked to dementia and Alzheimer's disease.

British researchers put 271 seniors suffering from mild cognitive impairment onto either a daily placebo or a supplement regimen of 0.5mg of B12, 0.8mg of folic acid, and 20mg of B6.

After two years, the seniors who got their B vitamins did 70 percent better on memory tests than those who got the placebos -- with some of them actually showing improvements over their initial scores.

They got older... and their minds got BETTER with age. Imagine that!

But wait, there's more: The patients on the B vitamins had slower rates of brain shrinkage -- in one case by 500 percent.

Now, any reason to eat a steak is a good one to me, but these kinds of results won't come from diet alone. For the best brain boost, invest in a good, quality supplement.

If you're getting up there in years, no excuses -- you need a B complex, and you need one now.

That, and steak.

I've got more on dementia risk coming up next. Keep reading!