Dementia doctors share the changes they'd make for better brain health
When it comes to brain health, some things are out of your control. Age is the biggest risk factor for developing dementia, according to the World Health Organization, but others such as genetics, early education, socioeconomic status, and gender all play a role. But, the longevity of what’s in your noggin is *not* entirely out of your hands either, according to doctors who treat dementia.
'There are things that we can do to boost our brain health today that may have an impact later in life', says Nilüfer Ertekin-Taner, MD, PhD, a neurologist at Mayo Clinic Hospital, who studies Alzheimer’s. In fact, every year one of the top medical journals The Lancet updates its list of modifiable risk factors that, when addressed, cumulatively add up to a whopping 45% reduced risk of dementia. They are up to 14 different addressable causes, with high LDL cholesterol and vision loss being this year’s new additions. (More additions will come each year, says Scott Kaiser, MD, a geriatrician and Director of Geriatric Cognitive Health for the Pacific Neuroscience Institute at Providence Saint John’s Health Center.)
Taking care of your brain is really about taking care of your overall health. For example, things like excessive alcohol use and smoking affect brain health too, per The Lancet. Women are also more likely to develop Alzheimer’s, which makes prioritising primary care, early screenings for any potential cognitive issues, and low thresholds for bringing concerns to your doctor all the more important, Dr. Kaiser.
Meet the experts: Nilüfer Ertekin-Taner, MD, PhD, is a neurologist at Mayo Clinic Hospital in Jacksonville, FL, who studies Alzheimer’s. Scott Kaiser, MD, is a geriatrician and Director of Geriatric Cognitive Health for the Pacific Neuroscience Institute at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, CA.
If there’s one takeaway for brain health, it’s this: Don’t be afraid to go to the doctor. So many components of your brain are affected by other tenants that make up healthy living as a whole, and your doctor can help come up with a personalised plan, and even share options for treatment if you are struggling with cognitive decline. 'Now, we have FDA-approved treatments and ways to reduce dementia risk that could make a difference', says Dr. Kaiser.
Keep reading for Dr. Kaiser’s and Dr. Ertekin-Taner’s top tips for better brain health. Many are closely related, so there are plenty that you can combine—like exercise and social activity—to get the benefits, says Dr. Kaiser.
8 simple ways to improve your brain health long term
1. Stay on top of your *heart* health
As the recent addition of high LDL cholesterol to The Lancet’s modifiable risk factors suggests, a lot of health considerations that are good for your heart are good for your brain, too.
There may be multiple reasons for this, says Dr. Ertekin-Taner: One of them is that the brain needs healthy vasculature to function, get nutrients, and remove toxins, she says. Plus, most diseases that are bad for the heart—diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure—increase risk of dementia.
First, be sure to get annual check ups and take care of your heart, says Dr. Kaiser. You can also focus on following a heart-healthy diet like the Mediterranean diet (or even something called the MIND diet, which was specifically developed to promote healthy cognition) with limited red meat, green leafy vegetables, and foods high in antioxidants. One specific benefit of eating foods like berries, veggies, and nuts is that they’re high in phytonutrients that protect cells against oxidative stress, which is associated with Alzheimer’s, says Dr. Kaiser.
2. Plan 30 minutes of exercise, five days a week, if possible
The CDC recommends that everyone gets 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity each week, and brain docs agree. 'We know that physical activity and exercise is the closest thing we have to a miracle drug when it comes to brain health and healthy aging in general', says Dr. Kaiser. Nearly twice as many inactive adults reported cognitive decline compared to those who were active in a 2020 study published in Preventative Medicine. Exercise has been found to improve things like verbal fluency, memory recall, attention, and executive functioning in a 2024 review in Trends In Neurosciences. The review says that more research is still needed to determine the optimal frequency and kind of exercise between resistance training, aerobic exercise, or a combo of the two.
In the meantime, pick something you enjoy and that you’ll do consistently, says Dr. Kaiser. Going for a brisk 30-minute walk five days a week will provide benefits for not just your brain health, but also your overall well-being.
As for how exercise helps the brain, researchers hypothesise that it increases hippocampal volume, meaning it makes the part of your brain that deals with memory, learning, and decision making bigger.
Getting active can also help build strength and muscle and give you an excuse to be social, both of which have their own benefits for brain health, adds Dr. Ertekin-Taner.
3. Fill your social calendar with at least one gab session per week
Interacting with people activates you cognitively and stimulates your brain, says Dr. Ertekin-Taner. This can improve language and memory skills and reduce stress, according to a 2022 study in The Lancet Healthy Longevity. The same study found that people who reported monthly or weekly interactions with family and friends were associated with slower memory decline and that those with higher feelings of loneliness tended to experience faster declines in global cognition and executive function.
To get a good measurement of your social interaction, do some reflecting, says Dr. Kaiser, as recognising that you don’t have enough interaction is the first step. Then, you can make a plan to form more connections, whether it’s reaching out to friends or family members to make plans more often or setting a goal to call one person a week.
One great way to get more social interaction is to volunteer. Weekly, monthly, and even annual engagement with a community group was associated with a slower memory decline, according to the same study.
4. Challenge your brain by learning something new every day
Kind of like your muscles, the brain needs to be regularly used and challenged to keep it strong. Using your brain to read a book, solve a puzzle, or learn to play an instrument, for example, allows for neurons to make new memories, which creates a feedback loop of maintaining brain health, explains Dr. Ertekin-Taner. When you do an activity like write, paint, or solve a crossword, it literally leads to positive electrical and molecular changes in your brain.
Prioritise doing something you enjoy to make it more sustainable, says Dr. Ertekin-Taner. And, make sure you’re doing something that actually challenges you cognitively, not just teaches you to get better at a specific, repetitive task, adds Dr. Kaiser (like playing Candy Crush over and over.) This won’t actually help your brain make new memories, since you’re not learning anything new.
5. Consider a blood work check for vitamin deficiencies
As part of staying on top of your primary care appointments, work with your doctor to confirm you’re not deficient in any vitamins, says Dr. Ertekin-Taner. Not having sufficient nutrients can prevent neurons from transmitting messages and lead to cognitive challenges, she says.
Vitamins also play a role in your brain’s immune system and inflammation—and Alzheimer’s is characterised by problems in these areas. Depending on the results of your blood work, your doctor can make suggestions on dietary adjustments or supplements for a specific deficiency.
When it comes to taking vitamins and supplements outside of a deficiency, though, 'There is no magic to this', says Dr. Ertekin-Taner, who takes a multivitamin herself. 'There are unfortunately many supplements and vitamins out there that are promoted as the cure [to cognitive decline], and we don't have that.' Vitamins including C, D, E, and B12 have all been found to promote cognitive function, according to a 2021 review in the Journal of Clinical and Translational Research, as did omega 3 fatty acids, Lion’s Mane, and saffron.
6. Stimulate all of your senses
Using your senses is key to maintaining brain health. Sensory input—whether from jamming to a playlist, petting a furry friend, or literally stopping to smell the roses—not only stimulates the brain, but it also plays a big role in learning new things, which is important for healthy cognition, says Dr. Ertekin-Taner. One of the most important senses is hearing, which increases your risk of Alzheimer's fivefold if not taken care of, according to a 2023 review in The International Journal of Molecular Sciences.
To ensure your senses are up to speed, it’s vital to stay up to date on your doctor’s appointments, especially when it comes to vision and hearing. You can also consider this your excuse to keep playing your favorite tunes, which has been found to improve outcomes like cognition, memory, and language in Alzheimer’s patients, according to a 2023 review in Alzheimer’s Research and Therapy.
7. Protect your head from injuries
Moderate and severe traumatic brain injuries increase a risk of cognitive decline or dementia even years later by anywhere from two to four times, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. For this reason, it’s important to protect your head from traumatic injury as much as possible, both doctors agree.
You can do this in so many ways. Wear a helmet when biking or playing certain sports, per the CDC. Stay active to maintain strength and bone density, and try activities like yoga to improve your balance, says the NIH. And, be thoughtful about how you organise your home to minimise fall-risk.
8. Turn off screens a few hours before bed
Sleep plays a big role in brain health, so you’re going to want to prioritise not just sleep, but high quality sleep, says Dr. Kaiser. One thing that can interrupt your sleep quality is screen time in the hours before your head hits the pillow. Blue light that comes from screens like your phone, computer, or TV, has been found to decrease tiredness, sleep quality, and sleep duration, according to a 2022 review in Frontiers in Physiology. Shutting down devices or wearing blue light glasses starting three to four hours before bed is one way to prioritise sleep.
Another issue that gets in the way of quality sleep is too much light in general, and light pollution has been linked with Alzheimer’s. Make sure your room is dark at night with the help of blackout curtains or sleeping with an eye mask.
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