5 Important Ways to Help Prevent Cognitive Decline As You Age
As we age, the thought of losing your cognitive abilities to any degree is one of the most terrifying thoughts for many people.
Fortunately, recent research gives us some pretty substantial clues about the influencing factors we need to take care of if we hope to prevent cognitive decline.
Any guesses on the top 5?
Chase et al. (2017) examined 2315 people over the age of 65 and found the following five factors were linked to healthier brain aging.
- Healthy diet
- Social activity
- Physical activity
- Mentally stimulating activity
- Moderate alcohol consumption
Based on this study's results, researchers found that people with a healthier lifestyle performed better on tests of mental ability.
They also concluded that their performance could be attributed to their superior "cognitive reserve," which comes from engaging in a mentally stimulating activity.
And if you are curious about why “cognitive reserve” is essential, the researchers found that this reserve creates a buffer in the brain, making it more resilient from illness and decay.
Takeaway Message
Benjamin Franklin once said, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." So, the time to prevent cognitive decline is now, regardless of your age.
There are five key factors listed above. I imagine that none of these findings were shocking. But knowing something, and not doing it, is just as bad, and arguably worse, than not knowing at all.
So, now is the time to prioritize these activities and find a way to weave them into your daily life, with perhaps moderate alcohol intake serving as the one item on the list you may choose to omit, especially if it has ever posed a problem in the past.
And don't forget the importance of continually stretching your brain with mentally stimulating activities so that you can increase your cognitive reserve.