Take Charge of Your Brain Health

The more researchers dig into brain health, the more the science reveals you can take an active part in keeping your brain healthy. And even when something goes wrong—like a stroke—science is learning how to improve recovery. Here’s a roundup of the latest in brain health.

Physical exercise is brain exercise

We’ve known for a long time that exercise is essential to good physical health, but increasingly, we’re seeing the connection between the physical and the mental. Quite simply, moving your body benefits your brain. When you lead a sedentary lifestyle, it accelerates brain ageing, while regular exercise mitigates that outcome.

The best way to go about it? Make exercise a daily practice, says Sean Raj, MD, chief innovation and medical officer at SimonMed. “Think about brain health the same way we think about heart health,” he says. “Stay physically active with regular walking, strength training, or low-impact exercise.”

A new way to rehab after a stroke

Despite best efforts, strokes can still happen. Strokes are an interruption of blood flow to the brain and can damage the regions of the brain that control movement in the body, requiring extensive rehabilitation after.

However, in a recent trial, researchers at Penn State and the University of Southern California tested a new approach to helping patients post incident. Instead of training the impaired side of the body, researchers targeted the less-impaired side, leading to improved movement and control. The patient improvements last for at least six months post-therapy, and researchers plan to continue their line of investigation to determine how this new approach can be combined with traditional types of stroke rehab.

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Lifelong learning can reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s

When you engage in lifelong learning—in the form of reading, writing, or taking up a new skill—you can lower your risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

That’s the finding in a recent study of nearly 2,000 people over the age of 80. Those with the highest levels of enrichment, on average, developed Alzheimer’s five years later than those with the lowest amount of lifelong learning. Resources like magazine subscriptions, access to libraries and museums, and playing games all served to boost brain health long term. “What’s exciting about these findings is that they focus on prevention,” says Raj.

Despite the good news findings of this study, however, others show that African Americans have a disproportionately higher prevalence of Alzheimer’s. Barriers to research participation, a lack of trust in the medical system, and cultural beliefs that cognitive decline is inevitable have all contributed to the disparity. Researchers are working on ways to reverse this trend and encourage the African American population to adopt habits to influence their aging brain health.

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This article offered by Senior Planet and Older Adults Technology Services is for informational purposes only and is not intended to substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding any medical condition. If you think you may have a medical emergency, call your doctor or 911 immediately.  

Amanda Loudin is a Maryland-based freelancer who specializes in health and science content. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, National Geographic, Fortune magazine and many other outlets. When not writing you can find her out running, hiking or biking.