FOR BETTER MEMORY, DON'T FORGET TO EXERCISE.

Byline: Lisa M. Sodders Staff Writer

People suffering from mild forgetfulness can boost their memory in just two weeks if they stick to the right foods, exercise and take on daily crossword puzzles and other brain teasers, researchers said Wednesday.

With the death of former President Ronald Reagan, who suffered for a decade from Alzheimer's disease, memory loss is on everybody's mind, said Gary Small, who runs the Center on Aging at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Small and other researchers said people of all ages can improve their memories by including a few simple steps in their daily routines.

``At the most, you would spend a half hour to an hour a day,'' Small said. ``You might roll out of bed, do stretching exercises, have a vegetable egg-white omelet for breakfast. Your fitness-on-the-run might be parking your car a distance and taking a walk. When you get to work, you do a two-minute stress-reduction memory training exercise.''

Dr. Daniel G. Amen, director of the Amen Clinic in Newport Beach and assistant clinical professor in psychiatry at the University of California, Irvine, agreed that diet and lifestyle changes are among the best ways to combat Alzheimer's.

``As obesity is increasing and heart disease and diabetes are increasing, they are all risk factors for Alzheimer's disease,'' said Amen, co-author of ``Preventing Alzheimer's.'' ``If you put a healthy diet and exercise in your life, you're going to be at less risk for the things that put you at risk for Alzheimer's.

``Anything that's good for your heart is good for your brain.''

Small is the author of ``The Memory Prescription: Dr. Gary Small's 14- Day Plan to Keep Your Brain and Body Young,'' which is due out next week.

The book details the findings of a study of 17 people ages 35 to 70 who followed a four-part program that focuses on mental activity, diet, stress reduction and physical fitness.

After just two weeks, the volunteers showed reduced activity in a region of the brain that controls ``working memory,'' which allows people to keep a limited amount of information active for a brief period.

The diet is low-carb, but not as ``severe'' as the Atkins diet, Small said.

Debra Cherry, associate executive director of the Alzheimer's Association, Los Angeles, said the study's results were ``interesting and exciting,'' but that more research, with more subjects, was needed.

``There is a growing body of evidence that what can reduce the risk for vascular dementia, the second most common form of dementia (after Alzheimer's) may also reduce the risk for Alzheimer's,'' Cherry said. ``These are things like controlling hypertension, watching your cholesterol, getting physical exercise, eating a healthy diet, managing stress, controlling diabetes and avoiding smoking.''

Those measures might not prevent Alzheimer's in all people, but could delay the onset by several years, Cherry said.

Lisa M. Sodders, [phone]

lisa.sodders(at)dailynews.com

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HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR MEMORY

SOURCE: ``The Memory Prescription'' by Dr. Gary Small

Warren Huskey/Staff Artist