Brain Health
Growing evidence shows that making behavioral and lifestyle changes can help you
maintain cognition and brain health later in life.
It’s a fact: your brain ages just like the rest of your body.
It shrinks in size, slows down in speed, and becomes less adaptable to change as you age. While research on how to maintain brain health later in life continues at a rapid and expanding pace, we know there is growing hope and expectation that living longer, fuller cognitive lives is possible. In fact, a recent survey of AARP members age 50 and over [1] showed that 90% felt staying mentally sharp was their top health related interest.
Research suggests there are six critical elements to aging successfully and maintaining your brain health as you age, including:
Staying physically active;
Managing your blood pressure, weight and cholesterol levels to reduce and manage your risk for cardiovascular disease;
Talking with family members about any changes you've noticed in your cognitive abilities or memory. Ask your family to tell you about any changes they may have noticed;
Talking with your doctor about your health conditions and the medications and supplements you take that may impact your cognitive health;
Staying socially and intellectually engaged; and
Getting the recommended amount of sleep.
Interview with CNN Chief Medical Correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta
Keep Your Brain Healthy
McKnight Brain Research Foundation Trustee, Dr. Richard Isaacson, recently sat down with neurosurgeon and CNN Chief Medical Correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, to talk about his latest book, Keep Sharp: Build a Better Brain at Any Age and his key takeaways for maintaining cognitive health.
Learn More About Brain Health
Advocating for new research to better understand and alleviate age-related cognitive decline and memory loss to help people maintain their brain health and age successfully.