Lifestyle Changes to Help Slow Cognitive Decline and Protect the Aging Brain
Your brain is your body's command center. It helps you think, remember, and connect with the world.
But as you age, your brain shrinks. Beginning around age 55, the hippocampus starts to shrink by about 1% annually. This part of the brain handles learning and memory.
That might sound a little alarming. But you’re not powerless. While you can’t stop aging, you can make small, intentional lifestyle changes that can boost brain health, protect memory, and build cognitive resilience.
Dive in to learn how you can slow cognitive decline and keep your mind sharp as you age.
#1 Nourish Your Brain With Foods That Boost Memory
Your diet is one of the most direct ways to support cognitive health and protect the brain from age-related decline. What you eat provides your brain with the energy it needs to function.
The most well-researched and recommended eating plan for cognitive health is the Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay, or MIND diet. It specifically focuses on the food groups that have shown the strongest links to brain health.
The MIND diet encourages eating plenty of leafy green vegetables, such as kale and spinach, aiming for six or more servings per week. These greens are full of antioxidants like vitamin C and folate. These help reduce age-related memory loss by decreasing inflammation.
Berries are considered brain superheroes on this diet. Fruits like blueberries, strawberries, and blackberries are packed with antioxidants, which protect brain cells from damage.
Certain types of fish, such as salmon and tuna, are great for your brain. They are full of omega-3 fatty acids, which are vital for building and repairing brain cells. The diet also encourages healthy fats from nuts and olive oil, which provide steady energy and improve blood flow.
#2 Engage in Physical Activity
Regular physical activity is good for your heart, muscles, and bones. But do you know that it is also great for your brain?
Exercise improves blood and oxygen flow to your brain, which helps keep it healthy. One study shows that exercising regularly may decrease your risk of developing dementia by up to 20%.
To get started, the CDC recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity each week.
You can break that up however you want. You could, for instance, walk briskly for 30 minutes 5 days a week. Walking decreases the risk of cognitive impairment and dementia. In fact, the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease was found to be lower in elderly men who walked regularly.
Try devoting a few minutes of your week to strength training. One of the greatest benefits of strength training for seniors is that it helps protect their brains from cognitive decline. Strength training releases high levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). This helps grow new cells in the brain, promoting healthy aging.
To improve your cognitive function, train with resistance bands for 78–679 METs-min per week.
#3 Limit Alcohol and Quit Smoking
Alcohol and smoking don’t do your brain any favors; rather, they harm it.
Alcohol consumption affects brain cell communication, which interferes with the brain’s ability to react, plan, solve problems, and control impulses. Drinking too much alcohol can also cause memory problems and significantly raise the risk of falls, which can lead to traumatic brain injuries.
While an occasional glass of wine may not cause harm for most people, moderation is important. If you drink, try to stick to recommended limits. That is, no more than one drink per day for women and two for men.
Smoking, on the other hand, significantly increases the risk of cognitive decline and dementia.
Toxic chemicals like nicotine and carbon monoxide, found in cigarettes, impede blood flow to the brain. This starves brain cells of the oxygen and nutrients they need to survive. Over time, this leads to cell damage and, eventually, cell death, resulting in a noticeable decrease in overall brain volume.
Quitting smoking can benefit your brain almost immediately. Blood circulation improves in just a few weeks. Trying to quit smoking can be tough; you don't have to do it by yourself, though. Your doctor can help by suggesting cessation aids and support programs.
Putting it all together, cognitive decline isn’t completely unavoidable. But lifestyle choices can make a huge difference. Make these habits a part of your life and you can give yourself the best chance of staying sharp and engaged as you age.
Take it one step at a time. Instead of changing everything at once, focus on making small, manageable changes. Maybe swap out a sugary snack for a handful of berries and nuts or park a little farther from the store to get in a few more steps. These little changes can help keep your brain strong and resilient.
