How do we best keep our brains healthy? According to Dr. Sabine Donnai, founder of the Viavi longevity clinic, it is the small things we do every day that make the biggest difference to our brain health, preventing cognitive decline over time.
In fact, the latest research suggests that as many as 45 percent of dementia cases could be delayed or prevented with help from some simple tweaks to our habits.
“We are looking at marginal gains from changing aspects of our diet and daily activity as well as incorporating new habits,” she says. “It is never too late to start making these changes.” Here’s what she recommends.
1. Eat a Balanced Diet
Scientists from the University of Warwick, the University of Cambridge and Fudan University in China who examined the food preferences of 181,990 U.K. adults with an average age of 70 found that people who ate a more balanced diet had better cognitive function and memory than those on a reduced-carb, high-protein or plant-based diet. Their findings, published in the journal Nature Mental Health, also showed the balanced eaters also had better “brain morphology,” defined as higher amounts of grey matter, the outermost layer of the brain, which is responsible for controlling movement, memory and emotions.
2. Exercise Daily, Even If It’s Just a Walk
People who are physically active are 20 percent less likely to develop dementia than those who aren’t, according to the Alzheimer’s Society. “It doesn’t matter how you stay active, but a combination of different types of exercise is probably best,” Donnai says. A daily walk is the best place to start, with a 2022 Jama Network study of 78,430 adults living in the U.K. showing that covering a daily total of 9,800 steps was optimal for lowering the risk of dementia, but that even 3,800 steps a day at a faster pace led to a lower incidence of dementia.
3. Eat More Berries (Ideally Organic)
A study from King’s College London and the University of Reading published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that eating a handful of blueberries daily for three months led to benefits including improved memory and brain function in a group of healthy men and women aged 65 to 80. Donnai says that all berries are a great addition to a brain-healthy diet, but that we should try to buy organic whenever possible. Last year, an analysis of government figures by the campaign group Pesticide Action Network U.K. (Pan U.K.) found unwanted traces of the “forever chemicals” PFAs (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), which hang around in the body, to be present in 95 percent of 120 samples of strawberries.
4. Have a Serving of Leafy Greens Daily
A daily serving of leafy green vegetables, such as spinach, kale, cabbage and lettuce, is a must for a healthy brain diet. In a study of 960 older people with memory problems, a team from Rush University in Chicago and the Tufts Human Nutrition Research Center in Boston found that those who ate one serving daily of leafy greens had rates of cognitive decline equivalent to them being 11 years younger cognitively than those who ate the least. Leafy green vegetables are a rich source of brain-friendly nutrients including folate, nitrate and lutein.
5. Take Regular Saunas
Researchers from Finland reporting in the journal Preventive Medicine Reports showed that those who visited a sauna at least two to three times a week had a 53 percent lower risk of being diagnosed with dementia over the following two decades than non-sauna users. Donnai says that regular saunas might help to lower inflammation levels in the body, a known risk factor for cognitive decline.
6. Eat More Oily Fish
Fish is a source of essential omega-3 fatty acids such as EPA and DHA, key micronutrients that enhance and protect the brain. A study of healthy midlifers published by American researchers in the journal Neurology showed that those who ate a variety of fish and had higher concentrations of omega-3 fats in their bloodstream had better brain structure and cognitive health in their forties and fifties.
7. Drizzle Olive Oil on Your Meals
“Drizzling olive oil on salads and pasta dishes is a good habit to get into,” Donnai says. It contains predominantly monounsaturated fatty acids including the potent oleic acid, which is known to reduce inflammation in the brain. A team of Harvard scientists reporting in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology revealed that a daily teaspoon of olive oil was associated with a 12 percent reduced risk of death from all causes, but highlighted the fact that there was also a connection between olive oil consumption and fewer deaths from degenerative brain disease.
8. Cut Out Ultra-Processed Foods
Researchers at the University of Liverpool and the University of Cambridge, reporting in the Journal of Neurology last year, concluded that a “high UPF consumption is associated with dementia.” A previous study involving 72,083 people from the U.K. Biobank cohort also found that those consuming more UPFs over ten years were at a greater risk of dementia. According to these researchers, highly processed diets tend to have low levels of nutrients, too much sugar and sodium, and may lead to inflammation, which can be bad for brain health.
9. Protect Your Blood-Brain Barrier
The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a semi-permeable membrane that acts as a filter to keep harmful substances such as toxins and chemicals away from the brain. The BBB works well when fully intact, but can be easily weakened by inflammation, smoking, pollution, head injury and acute or long-term illness such as hypertension and diabetes, which can damage blood vessels, including those that make up the BBB. If the BBB becomes defective, it can speed up the accumulation of amyloid-beta and tau proteins, accelerating cognitive decline. However, there are many things we can do to preserve it. “Simple steps such as avoiding chemicals and additives as much as you can in cosmetics, cleaning products and food are helpful,” Donnai says. “Exercising daily and reducing stress in your life are also key steps to take.”
Peta Bee is a U.K.-based freelance health journalist
