Memory problems? Try a glass of red wine

This morning I was working at my desk, and I got up and went into my bedroom to get - something.

As soon as I walked in, I couldn't remember what I'd gone in there for. I stood there as the warm spring sunshine filtered in through my bedroom curtains, casting cool blue shadows against the creamy white walls - and for the life of me, I just couldn't think what I'd wanted.

So I walked back to my desk and sat down - and remembered right away that I wanted my new glasses (bifocals). So I got up and walked into the bedroom again - saying "glasses" in my head so I wouldn't forget again.

Have you ever done that, and does it frustrate you as much as it does me?

One of the things about getting older that I don't think I'm ever going to learn to enjoy, appreciate or handle with grace, is the apparent worsening of my memory. I remember my mom sending me a joke about it four or five years ago - and I laughed at it then, but now that it's happening to me, it's somehow not as funny.

After I got back to work, I ran across an interesting article in Prevention Magazine's Website - about 8 different ways to boost your memory power, and the one that struck me (maybe because I live in France) is that having a glass of red wine may actually boost your short term memory!

There was a study done by Phillipe Marambaud, PhD who discovered that there is a compound in red wine called "Resveratrol" may actually help you fight Alzheimer's Disease. (I don't think what I've got is the beginnings of Alzheimer's by the way. It's what my friends and I call "Old Timer's Disease" though...)

Dr. Marambaud is a senior research scientist at the Litwin-Zuker Research Center for the Study of Alzheimer's Disease and Memory Disorders in New York. Undere laboratory conditions, resveratrol was found to hinder the formation of "beta-amyloid protein, which is a key ingredient in the plaque found in the brains of people who died with Alzheimer's Disease.

It's already known that alcohol - taking in moderation, of course - can help the heart by lowering cholesterol levels. But according to Aaron Nelson, PhD. having a glass a day may also help your brain by improving circulation.

So, as we say here in France, "Viva la Rouge!" Cheers...