Q: I recently returned to grad school, and I’m having trouble remembering what I read. I’m taking several prescription drugs, including a statin to lower my cholesterol. Could that be the cause? Or is it just old age? I’m 55. — Carlos, via e-mail
A: First, congratulations on your “It’s never too late” attitude. Your age may make you less likely than most college kids to pledge a fraternity, attend a kegger or play lacrosse, but affect what you remember? Probably not so much.
It could be stress. (Going back to school gives many the shivers.) However, you may be right to wonder about your statin drug. One good thing cholesterol does is help produce chemical messengers in your brain that affect how well you remember things. So in theory, reducing your cholesterol might reduce recall, too.
While this is controversial, there are reports of people who’ve had memory problems, stopped their statins, seen their memories get better, started the drugs again as a test … and gone right back to not being able to finish TV Guide crosswords. Talk to your doc about doing this kind of “challenge” test. Another option: Ask if there’s a statin drug that’s equally potent but less likely to affect your memory, and see if making a switch doesn’t help you remember the reason for the Battle of Hastings or the nine steps of the Krebs cycle.
Q: I am a 68-year-old upbeat nana (with 13 grandkids) who has Parkinson’s. I’m confused about possible brain-boosting supplements, specifically acetyl-l carnitine, alpha lipoic acid and phosphatidylserin. My docs can’t seem to agree on which, if any, are beneficial. — Bonnie, via e-mail
A: One reason your docs can’t agree is because most of the research on these supplements has been done in Petri dishes or elderly rats. And the doses that work in the lab are often so large that the average human would spend all day swallowing capsules to achieve the same results. How safe is that? Nobody knows. That’s why we medical types like to wait for people studies before we recommend pill- popping to our patients.
The supplements you mention have shown some promise: Acetyl-L carnitine, an amino acid, and alpha lipoic acid, an antioxidant, give old rats a new lease on life. Phosphatidylserine, which is mainly fatty acids, makes mice act smarter. You could take them (tell your docs if you do), but we don’t know about long-term effects or whether, like elderly rodents, you’ll be able to find your way through a maze because of them.
There’s one supplement in the can’t hurt/may help department that actually has some human studies with good results: co-enzyme Q10 — 1,200 mg a day improved motor function in people with Parkinson’s. And you might consider green tea extract, too; its polyphenols protect nerve cells.
And don’t forget intense exercise three times a week for 30 minutes, ending with one minute working as hard as your doc says you can. Small human studies at the Cleveland Clinic show this kind of workout released a brain growth factor that prompted regrowth of certain neurons in nearly 40 percent of exercisers.
Q: I love very hot peppers. I usually have half a Scotch Bonnet at supper or two very hot, long chile peppers. Are there any benefits to eating them? Could they harm my stomach? — Walter, Toronto
A: These hotties are hot for your health, too. Studies show that the capsaicin in them — that’s the stuff that sets fire to your tongue — can kill cancer cells, help you lose weight, ease pain, prevent heart attacks, dampen a sinus infection and more.
That runny nose you get while scarfing down a Scotch Bonnet (it’s at least 40 times hotter than a jalapeño) means your mucus membranes are loosening up, allowing bacteria and viruses to do the electric slide right out of there. Hot peppers also make you sweat, a sign that your metabolism is revved up.
Since you have no difficulty digesting peppers, enjoy them. They can promote digestion, build up the mucus lining of your stomach and kill the harmful bacteria that cause stomach ulcers.
Dr. Mehmet Oz and Dr. Michael Roizen are authors of “You: On a Diet.” Submit questions at .
