What would you do to protect your ability to remember what and who you care about? Would you be willing to invest a little every day to keep your mind healthy for your retirement years? Research indicates there are simple steps we can take to help prevent cognitive decline … like these.
1. Eat well
Try your best, the majority of the time, to eat fresh whole foods. This includes plenty of fruits and vegetables, plus fish and healthy fats—each of which has been independently shown to dramatically reduce the risk of dementia. The less food that comes from a package or a box, the better.
Mediterranean diet
The Mediterranean diet has been demonstrated in research to reduce cognitive decline. In a study that examined more than 1.5 million adults followed from three to 18 years, consuming the Mediterranean diet demonstrated a reduction in the risk of Alzheimer’s disease of up to 20 percent.
While there may be variations on the Mediterranean diet, all of them share the following:
- plenty of varieties of fruits and vegetables
- olive oil as the primary source of healthy fats
- fish and poultry in moderate amounts
- red meat in low amounts
- red wine in low to moderate amounts
MIND diet
Combining the Mediterranean and the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diets to form the MIND (Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay) diet has shown some promise for Alzheimer’s disease as well. By focusing on higher intake of plant-based foods and minimal animal and saturated fats, the MIND diet demonstrated a decrease in the risk of Alzheimer’s of up to 53 percent.
2. Drink green tea and/or coffee
A study of more than 1,400 participants found that having three to five cups of coffee per day at midlife may decrease risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s by up to 65 percent.
Find that coffee gives you jitters? Japanese researchers found consuming one cup of green tea per day could decrease risk of cognitive impairment by up to 38 percent.
3. Exercise your body
No matter what their exercise of choice, those who stay active experience slower cognitive decline.
Simply staying active several times a week for 30 to 60 minutes may help maintain reasoning and learning skills, improve memory, judgment and thinking abilities and delay the start of or even slow the progress of Alzheimer’s disease.
Researchers think this may be related to increasing blood flow to the brain—carrying nutrients and oxygen to this vital organ.
Do both activities that increase your heart rate (like brisk walking, jogging, swimming and cycling) and gentle resistance workouts (like stretching, lifting weights and toning exercises).
4. Exercise your mind
Research has shown that those who stay mentally active tend to experience less cognitive decline. In a study of more than 700 patients, being cognitively active reduced the risk of developing Alzheimer’s by 2.6 times compared to those who were cognitively inactive.
Pick an activity that suits your preferences—crossword puzzles or Sudoku, learning a new language or learning a new drive or bike route. The point is to continue to learn things, stay curious and engage with the new material.
