Memory naturally declines with age, even as dementia risk rises. In a survey of recent studies of the brain, Nutrition Action Healthletter lists these factors as reliable ways to keep your brain healthy.
- Control your blood pressure.
- Keep your blood sugar stable and in the normal range.
- Don't smoke; if you do, quit.
- Keep your LDL cholesterol under 100mg/dL. Total cholesterol is much less of a
concern.
- Lose, or don't gain, excess weight. If you do not know your ideal weight, you can
use this easy ideal weight calculator to estimate it.
- Get at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise every day.
- Eat a healthy diet. NAH recommends a DASH or Mediterranean diet. But all it
comes down to is eating proper portions of healthy foods and not overeating
crap.
- Stay mentally and socially active and engaged. Stop making excuses why you
can't and just do it.
- Get enough sleep. Seven to eight hours a night is recommended for most people.
- Have your hearing checked regularly. Unresolved hearing loss is strongly
associated with dementia.
Here are some things that have either not been well tested or have already been shown to not have any significant impact on brain health.
- Multivitmins. This is not to say that taking them is bad or that you shouldn't.
Just don't expect any noticeable effect on your brain.
- Vitamins C, E or beta-carotene.
- DHA
- Ginko
- Prevagen
- Vinpocetine
For more information on maintaining a healthy brain, visit the National Institute on Aging at nia.nih.gov.
Want to contribute to the neuroscience of aging? You can join the University of California, San Francisco's Brain Health Registry. They are looking for anyone 18 years old or older who is willing to play online brainpower games every 3 to 6 months. The goal of the study is to track the performance of thousands of people over time. And who knows? You might enjoy the games.
To learn more, go to brainhealthregistry.org.
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