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As you or your loved ones age, you probably worry, at least a little, about memory loss. An estimated 20 to 25 percent of Americans 65 and older can expect to experience mild cognitive impairment, according to the National Institute on Aging (NIA). The brain loses cells and shrinks as we age and it's normal for mental processes - things like remembering a name or learning something new - to take a little more time.
Only about 1 in 10 Americans 65 and older suffers the more serious cognitive impairment of dementia, with Alzheimer's being by far the most common form. And while, at the moment, there is no proven method to reverse serious cognitive decline, there is a lot of evidence that we can help slow down the development of dementia.
Uncontrolled diabetes, untreated infections, kidney or liver disease, cancer - all of these conditions can damage your brain, as can any of the big risk factors for heart attack and stroke, including obesity, high triglycerides, and low HDL (or "good") cholesterol.
The flipside? By effectively managing your overall health, you can prevent or delay cognitive decline.
It also matters what you put into your body. The Mediterranean Diet, with its emphasis on whole fresh foods, including seafood and complex carbohydrates, has been shown to slow down cognitive decline. The NIA recommends that you combine it with the DASH diet. DASH stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (high blood pressure), and it essentially emphasizes lowering your sodium intake while eating a diet very similar to the Mediterranean plan.
You should also limit your intake of alcohol, a known neurotoxin that can disrupt the function of brain cells. And pay attention to medications. Benzodiazepines are a class of drugs used to treat anxiety, insomnia, epilepsy and other conditions, but prolonged use (three months or more) has been linked to a higher risk of developing dementia. The same is true for medications with anticholinergic properties, a class of drugs that includes some medications used for allergies, colds, high blood pressure, and incontinence.
The most powerful way to maintain a healthy brain is to stay active - both physically and mentally. While aerobic exercise is a very important way to prevent cognitive decline in older adults, a recent study also shows that resistance training to maintain muscle tone can also be very important in older people. In addition, Tai chi and yoga can help people with balance issues, potentially preventing falls that might lead to a loss of independence. It's also important to get plenty of sleep.
While we don't yet have the ability to restore brain cells, we have found that brain cells can make new connections. Stroke victims whose speech centers in the brain have been destroyed are learning to speak again by engaging healthier parts of the brain that control singing, for instance. Meditation, Tai chi, yoga, and traditional psychological tools like cognitive behavioral therapy not only promote calm and help you improve your ability to focus, they can be helpful in re-establishing neural networks.
Other activities that can be therapeutic for the aging brain include doing crossword puzzles, playing games, learning a new language, going to lectures and museums and concerts, reading, learning a musical instrument - anything that challenges you and uses new neural pathways.
And it's important to exercise all of the senses: Savor smells, sounds, taste, touch. Really look at things. We talk about getting "fixed in our ways" as we get older, and that fixation is exactly what can hasten the brain's decline. So, do try new things, particularly those that may not come easily, to exercise your brain and keep it sharp and alive.
Beware, however, of expensive "brain training" programs. First, you don't need them. Second, there's no evidence that they work. In 2016, the Federal Trade Commission successfully sued a company for false advertising over its unfounded claim that its popular online product would sharpen mental performance and prevent cognitive decline.
Most of us experience a lot of loss as we age: friends, family members, careers, even our independence. Resilience - the ability to embrace change, reach out to old friends and make new ones, volunteer, pursue new dreams - is an important part of healthy aging.
We do know that social connectedness is another powerful antidote to cognitive decline. You can find and make such connections in shared interests, a church, a spiritual practice, a good cause, even reconnecting with friends.
It's true that many people feel more connected because of social media, but it's not the same as being physically with other people, and we don't yet know enough about the long-term impact on the brain of spending long hours communicating online. So whenever possible, make connections that allow you to spend time together in person.
