Calling All Beautiful Minds

National Center for Creative Aging and life'sDHA™ Seek Inspiring Adults Age 55 and Over to Champion Importance of Lifelong Brain Health

The National Center for Creative Aging (NCCA) has partnered with life'sDHA™ to seek nominations at www.beautiful-minds.com for adults 55 and over who are doing beautiful things with their minds without letting age be a barrier. Ten individuals will be selected to be featured in a national photo exhibit, "Beautiful Minds: Finding Your Lifelong Potential," which will travel to multiple cities as part of an educational campaign designed to inspire all Americans to maintain better brain health. Submissions will be accepted through May 13, 2011. Launched in 2010, the "Beautiful Minds" campaign celebrates individuals who are keeping their minds beautiful throughout life, and raises awareness of the actions people can take to maintain one of the most vital parts of the body – the brain. The campaign focuses on the latest brain health research, specifically the four dimensions of brain health – diet and nutrition, physical health, mental health and social well-being.

"We are excited to showcase how adults 55 and over are using the four dimensions of brain health to do extraordinary things with their minds and bodies," said Gay Powell Hanna, Ph.D., M.F.A., executive director for the National Center for Creative Aging. "Our Beautiful Minds continue to be an inspiration to others, and we're looking forward to selecting ten more individuals who are positively influencing their brain health. This campaign is a wonderful way to show the potential of creativity in later life, which contributes to the health and wellbeing of older people and allows them to do the things they love, longer." "Research demonstrates that lifestyle factors like diet, exercise, as well as social, mental and intellectual engagement are important influencers on the aging brain. The Beautiful Minds campaign shines a light on people who are keeping their minds beautiful, and raises awareness of the actions others can take to better maintain their brain health," said Dr. Majid Fotuhi, M.D., Ph.D., Chairman, Neurology Institute for Brain Health and Fitness, Assistant Professor of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and consultant to life'sDHA. Entries may be submitted by anyone 55 and over, or by anyone who knows someone 55 and over, who has done extraordinarily beautiful things with his or her mind in the second stage of life. Each nomination must be accompanied by either an essay (500 words or less) or a video (three minutes or less) describing what makes the candidate an exemplary beautiful mind. Examples include committing to a healthy lifestyle; maintaining a healthy diet; engaging in intellectual or brain power activities on a daily basis; taking measures to overcome serious illness through mind, body, spirit and nutrition; participating in high-impact physical activities such as running marathons; having a strong commitment to social well-being, or having volunteered to help or educate others. Complete rules, regulations and an entry form are available on www.beautiful-minds.com. All entries must be received by May 13, 2011. Entries can be submitted via the following:

Online: Complete the entry form and provide a written essay (or a video essay) and submit it with a photo of the candidate being nominated. www.beautiful-minds.com

Fax: Download and complete the PDF entry form located online at www.beautiful-minds.com . Fax the completed form, a written essay and a photo of the candidate (minimum size 4 x 6) to (202) 895-9483 to the attention of Liz Anderson Simmons.

Mail: Send the completed entry form, along with a written essay and a non-returnable photo to Liz Anderson Simmons, National Center for Creative Aging, 4125 Albemarle Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20016-2105.

The Science of Brain Health The Beautiful Minds campaign is a partnership between the National Center for Creative Aging, life'sDHA, and a group of esteemed health experts. Together, they developed "Beautiful Minds: An Assessment of the Nation's Brain Health," which aims to educate on the latest brain health research and to reverse the misconception that brain health is genetically determined. The truth is that individuals have the power to influence their brain health throughout life. In fact, there are actions they can take every day to help ensure that their brain remains strong, healthy and beautiful as they age. Among the key research findings summarized in the assessment is the Memory Improvement with Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA) Study (MIDAS), published online May 3, 2010, in Alzheimer's and Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association. MIDAS is the first large, randomized and placebo-controlled study demonstrating that DHA omega-3 improved memory function in healthy aging adults. In the MIDAS study, healthy people age 55 and older with mild memory complaints who took 900 mg algal DHA capsules daily for six months had almost double the reduction in errors on a test that measures learning and memory performance versus those who took a placebo. The source of DHA used in the MIDAS study was a vegetarian and sustainable algal DHA marketed to consumers under the brand name of life'sDHA. Consumers who are looking for algal DHA supplements that will enable them to easily achieve DHA intake comparable to the amount used in this study can find them at major retailers, including Walmart, CVS and Walgreens under the Algal-900 DHA product name. To learn more about "Beautiful Minds: Finding Your Lifelong Potential," visit www.beautiful-minds.com. You can also visit www.brain-armor.com to learn more about an important supplement.

About life'sDHA™ life'sDHA™ is a sustainable and vegetarian source of algal DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) important for brain, heart and eye health throughout life for use in infant formula, pregnancy and nursing products, foods and beverages, dietary supplements and animal feeds. For a complete list of products containing life'sDHA, visit www.lifesdha.com. About the National Center for Creative Aging The National Center for Creative Aging (NCCA) was founded in 2001 and is dedicated to promoting creative expression as vital to healthy aging through education, research, advocacy, and technical assistance in health and wellness, lifelong learning, and community. Based in Washington, D.C., NCCA is a nonprofit organization with 3,000 members and is affiliated with The George Washington University. www.creativeaging.org