Five essential tips for keeping your brain in tip-top shape
Is it possible to build a better brain? According to science, the answer is an unequivocal yes. The only question is how to go about it?
For once, the critical tools turn out to be pleasingly lo-fi. Research from Australia recently suggested that brain power in the over-50s, for instance, can be improved by 45 minutes of exercise a week.
The University of Canberra report, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, looked at dozens of previous studies, finding that even one session of moderate aerobic and resistance activity is enough to enhance people’s alertness, decision-making and memory.
And although previous research had found benefits from aerobic exercises such as swimming, cycling, jogging or fast walking, the new analysis is the first to identify the key role in boosting brain function played by resistance training, such as weights or core strength activity.
And the news about brain function — how it deteriorates, how memory loss can be delayed or, better still, stopped in its tracks, often by disarmingly simple but effective ways — keep coming.
Since the start of the year, scientists have shown that you can boost your memory by engaging the visual part of your brain, that a glass of nitrate-rich beetroot juice can help stave off Alzheimer’s disease, and that clearing your mind on the green is the most effective thing you can do to improve your golf swing.
A post-lunch nap can prevent your brain from aging, but a post-lunch cup of tea can disrupt a good night’s sleep, which is essential to brain health, especially in the over-50s.
Last month, researchers from Cornell University found a link between a fibre-rich diet and a lower risk of brain disorders such as Alzheimer’s. Dietary fibre triggers in the gut the production of a fatty acid called butyrate, which is thought to block the enzymes involved in dementia.
If that wasn’t enough to be getting on with, last week, Imperial College London showed for the first time how a simple scan could predict a person’s risk of dying from their “brain age”.
Most of us worry about mental decline as we age.
The widespread fear of senility — 850,000 Britons are living with dementia — is, sadly, not unrealistic. But concerns over high levels of stress causing anxiety and depression are also rising, especially among the young.
No wonder, then, we should want to protect and future-proof the brain cells we have. “Prevention being better than cure is true for the brain,” says Dr Gareth Cuttle, neuroscience project manager at the Royal College of Psychiatrists.
This is especially so when it comes to the damage caused by intangibles, he adds, such as the biological and pathological effect of emotions. “When you keep your brain healthy and fit, you are more able to weather the effect of social and psychological events, and less likely to suffer the impact of depression and anxiety.”
So, what are the best ways to shore up your neurons? Try these five simple tips taken from scientists working on the frontline of research. Really, it’s a no-brainer.
1
Get brain-fit: Ground-breaking research published last week that revealed how even one session of moderate aerobic and resistance activity is enough to enhance people’s alertness, decision-making and memory means one thing: that it’s time to treat your head like your heart.
Joseph Nor they, who led the study at the University of Canberra, says doctors should be proactively prescribing exercise as a form of preventative medicine.
“Even exercising on one or two days of the week seemed to be effective, but the most important thing we found was the intensity of the exercise,” he said. “It should be moderate, but aiming to get some vigorous intensity in there as well.”
Dr David Reynolds, Chief Scientific Officer at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: “Exercising doesn’t have to mean spending lots of time in the gym. The best way of sticking to an exercise programme is to find something that you enjoy. A brisk walk, a game of tennis or going swimming can all form part of an active lifestyle .”
However, a walk is better for the brain than a spin on the bicycle, because the impact the foot hitting the ground step sends backwardflowing pressure waves up the arteries, helping blood circulation to the brain.
2
Go for promotion: Linda Clare, Professor of Clinical Psychology of Ageing and Dementia at the University of Exeter, has found that you can prep yourself in midlife for older age by taking on stimulating activities, such as leadership roles or further training to stretch your brain. She led research published in April, in the journal PLOS Medicine, which found that people with higher levels of “cognitive reserve” are more likely to stay mentally fit for longer, making the brain more resilient to illnesses such as dementia.
“Cognitive reserve builds a buffer in the brain,” she says, “making it more resilient. It means signs of decline only become evident at a higher threshold of illness or decay than when this buffer is absent.”
3
Move to the country: Pollution in our cities from car fumes and power plants could increase the risk of dementia by 92 per cent, says a study in Translational Psychiatry journal. Microscopic particles generated by fossil fuels may be inhaled directly into the brain, where an anti-inflammatory response could — over time — exacerbate Alzheimer’s disease.
Researchers from the University of Southern California also suggest that dangerous levels of pollution in cities could actually be responsible for a fifth of global dementia cases. The risk was particularly high for women with the study noting that those who live in heavily polluted areas — such as near main roads or busy city centres — are 81 per cent more at risk for cognitive decline.
4
Do something new: The idea of taking up a new hobby when you retire is sound, says Dr Cuttle. “Mental challenges are good — plus anything that broadens the mind, such as travelling, learning to paint or draw, or a new language.” You could try a Tai Chi class such as Ba Duan Jin — an eight-step exercise routine which has just been reported in journal Frontiers in Psychology as being “effective for improving executive function and brain selfregulation”.
Last month, an Edinburgh University report found that spending five hours a week learning a new language — regardless of fluency — helped defer the onset of a type of frontotemporal dementia by six years, and Alzheimer’s and strokerelated dementia by more than three years.
5
Do the sudoku … then hit PlayStation: You need to challenge and stimulate the brain, says Dr Cuttle. “That means puzzles, jigsaws, crosswords, sudoku … but it needs to be a mixture. Don’t keep doing the same thing.”
People of all ages can benefit from video games, too — “especially those which challenge your perception of space and force you to navigate through an environment-based game such as Minecraft”.
Game on, then.