Keeping Your Mind Sharp


Even though many age-related cognitive complaints are normal, you can take steps to ward them off. Increasingly, scientists are gaining a greater appreciation for the brain’s neuroplasticity—its ability to adapt continuously and rewire itself by creating new neurons and new connections (synapses) between neighboring neurons in response to stimulating or challenging experiences. “The more neurons and the greater diversity of connectivity you have between neurons, the more cognitive reserve (a set of cognitive skills that can protect you from the effects of brain injury, disease, or aging) you have,” notes dementia specialist Mark Mapstone, PhD, an associate professor of neurology at the University of Rochester in New York. “A healthy cognitive reserve and neural activation are what’s going to make the brain more resilient to aging and disease.” By practicing good health habits and exercising your


mind, you can protect your cognitive reserve and your brain in general and “probably delay the amount of decline or push it back farther into life,” McEvoy notes. Here’s how: Exercise consistently. Getting regular aerobic


exercise boosts the flow of blood and oxygen to the brain, which has a performance-enhancing effect, and triggers the release of endorphins, which can positively influence how your mind feels and functions, Small notes. Exercise can also help with weight control and lower your risk of developing medical conditions (such as hypertension and diabetes) that could compromise brain function. What’s more, exercise appears to have direct benefits for brain function: A recent study at the University of Pittsburgh found that regular aerobic exercise “increases the size of the anterior hippocampus, leading to improvements in spatial memory.” Strength-training can also be a boon. Recently,


researchers at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver found that after older women did strength- training workouts twice a week for a year they experienced functional improvements in two regions of their brains, which led to enhanced performance on mental tasks. Consume a brain-healthy diet. When it comes to


preventing age-related cognitive decline and dementia, fruits and vegetables are among the best foods for thought. They’re rich in antioxidants which several studies have shown help to protect your brain and body from the oxidative stress caused by unstable molecules called free radicals. “It’s not possible to over-stress the importance of antioxidants when it comes to brain health,”


McEvoy says. So drink green or white tea and load up your plate with berries, leafy greens, and other brightly hued fruits and vegetables. In a study involving 8,085 healthy adults over age 65, researchers in France found that those who consumed fruits and vegetables every day had a 28 percent lower risk of developing dementia. And research suggests that consuming moderate amounts of alcohol may help protect against age-related cognitive decline and dementia. Moderate amounts of alcohol are defined as one 5 oz glass of wine, one 12 oz beer, 1 ½ oz of spirits, or 4 oz of liqueur or sherry per day for women (two glasses are the limit for men).


Limit your intake of saturated fats and trans fats (in


meats, full-fat dairy products, butter, baked goods, and the like). And try to consume regularly omega-3 fatty acids, found in fatty fish like wild salmon, lake trout, sardines, mackerel, and albacore tuna, as well as walnuts and flaxseeds. “Numerous studies have shown that people who consume large amounts of anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids have a lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease,” says Small. Whole-grain and high-fiber foods are also good for your brain and can help you feel fuller for fewer calories.


Cross-train your brain. The more you can challenge your mind with stimulating activities (such as crossword puzzles, math games, and Sudoku), the better it is for your long-term brain function. Recently, researchers at the University of California, San Diego, found that regularly doing crossword puzzles delayed the onset of memory decline by nearly three years among older adults who developed dementia. Other challenges that can help: Playing mind-sharpening games (such as Scrabble, chess, or bridge), reading material that takes you out of your cognitive comfort zone, learning a new skill or language, and playing mind-bending computer games (or apps). The greater variety of mentally challenging activities you do, the better it is for your brain, Small says, because “it makes neural pathways (connections between nerve cells) more efficient.” Make good quality sleep a priority.Getting


sufficient good quality sleep is crucial for brain function because “it helps with encoding new information, allowing new facts to become part of your knowledge base, and it’s important for efficiency in retrieving information from memory,” McEvoy explains. Yet, “as we get older, people have a tendency not to sleep consecutive hours the way younger people do.” If that describes your pattern, don’t try to compensate with naps, Small cautions. Instead, create a regular sleep routine, with a consistent bedtime and


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