ScienceDaily:

Scientists may have discovered why the brain's higher information-processing center slows down in old age, affecting everything from language, to vision, to motor skills. The findings may also point toward drugs for reversing the process.

A brain chemical called GABA helps neurons stay finicky about which signals they respond to -- a must for the brain to function at its peak. Certain neurons in very old macaque monkeys lose their pickiness, researchers have found, seemingly because they don't get enough GABA. These results appear in the journal Science, published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)

8:36:53 PM    

New York Times by Bruce Grierson::

A trip to the diet doc, circa 2013. You prick your finger, draw a little blood and send it, along with a $100 fee, to a consumer genomics lab in California. There, it's passed through a mass spectrometer, where its proteins are analyzed. It is cross-referenced with your DNA profile. A few days later, you get an e-mail message with your recommended diet for the next four weeks.

The promise of genomics continues to fascinate. It is, however, dependent on databases full of your most personal information: your genotype. Will people trade off potential violations of their privacy for the ability to live healthier lives?

Also, what should one do until 2013? Since the vast majority (80%) of people will benefit eating a "normal" diet, I believe a common sense approach will win the day. I recommend a diet that consists of lots of fruits and vegetables, low-fat protein and the right types of fat, e.g. olive oil.

If you want further information on this common sense approach, I highly recommend two books: Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy (Willett) and The Omega Diet (Simopoulos).

Eat right. Live Better.

-Tim
9:32:43 AM