As you get older, you may frequently forget where you put your car keys… join the club.
We’re not necessarily talking about dementia here, but the brain ages along with all of your other parts and experiences changes that can lead to memory issues.
But research has zeroed in on one very important factor concerning how your blood vessels could be responsible for accelerating the age of your brain…
Here’s a summary of that research, along with a dozen ways to help slow down the rate at which your brain is aging…
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Blood vessel health is a must for a youthful brain
A group of researchers at Karolinska Institutet assessed MRI scans and AI tools to estimate the biological brain age in subjects who were 70 years old and had no cognitive impairment.
They also determined the “brain age gap” of each participant by subtracting their estimated biological brain age from their chronological age (according to birth date), while also cross-referencing their medical conditions and lifestyle habits.
From there they were able to determine among 739 participants that when it comes to keeping a young brain, vascular health is of the utmost importance.
In those with poor vascular health, brain aging was accelerated and was linked to a combination of conditions and factors including::
- Lack of physical activity
- Diabetes
- High cerebrovascular burden (conditions that impact blood flow in the brain)
- Stroke
- And inflammation
“A take-home from the study is that factors that adversely affect the blood vessels can also be related to older-looking brains, which shows how important it is to keep your blood vessels healthy, to protect your brain, by making sure, for instance, that your blood glucose level is kept stable,” says neurobiologist Anna Marseglia of the Karolinska Institute.
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A dozen ways to keep your brain young
Older brains tend to be at higher risk of developing dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. And since there is no cure for Alzheimer’s, these findings, which suggest ways of protecting against cognitive decline, are hugely valuable.
The good folks at Harvard Health have put together a list of tried, true and researched ways to help keep a brain younger — and most of them will also have a positive impact on blood vessel health…
- Mental stimulation. Mentally stimulating activities like reading, taking classes, or word and math puzzles develop neurological plasticity, building up a functional reserve that offers a hedge against future cell loss.
- Physical exercise. Regular exercise adds to the number of tiny blood vessels that bring oxygen-rich blood to the brain region that’s responsible for thought. It also encourages development of new nerve cells and increases connections between them.
- Diet. Studies have shown that the MIND diet can lower dementia risk as much as 20 percent. Similar to the Mediterranean diet, the MIND diet emphasizes fruits, vegetables, fish, nuts, unsaturated oils like olive oil, and plant-based protein sources.
- Blood pressure. High blood pressure in midlife increases the risk of cognitive decline in your older years. Some of the other things on this list, like diet and exercise, will help keep your blood pressure under control. In fact, following this advice to get arteries like a 20-year-old, might make your brain almost as young.
- Blood sugar. The Karolinska study found that managing blood glucose levels can help improve vascular health. Time-restricted eating (also called intermittent fasting) is successful for many people trying to control blood sugar. If your blood sugar is consistently high, consult your doctor.
- Cholesterol. High levels of LDL (“bad”) cholesterol are associated with an increased risk of dementia. But diet, exercise, and weight control will go a long way toward improving cholesterol levels.
- Tobacco … avoiding it, of course. Stay away from tobacco in all its forms to improve your vascular health.
- Alcohol. Excessive drinking has long been linked to dementia. In fact, the Surgeon General has recently called for warning labels on alcohol, just like the ones on cigarettes. If you do drink, make it an occasional thing, not an everyday habit.
- Emotional well-being. If you’re depressed or sleep-deprived, your cognitive performance will suffer. But anger is especially harmful to vascular health. It’s important to create habits that help manage strong emotions.
- Social ties. Strong social ties have been associated with a lower risk of dementia, as well as lower blood pressure and longer life expectancy.
- Avoid head injuries. One fall may not make you susceptible to cognitive decline, but repeated injuries can.
- Low-dose aspirin. A study from researchers at Rush University Medical Center found that aspirin could help reduce brain plaques that contribute to Alzheimer’s. If you’re interested, check with your doctor to see if this would benefit you. If aspirin isn’t for you, consider supplementing phosphatidylserine.
Sources:
Poor vascular health accelerates brain aging — Science Daily
Biological brain age and resilience in cognitively unimpaired 70-year-old individuals — Alzheimer’s and Dementia
12 ways to keep your brain young — Harvard Medical School