Preventing Cognitive Decline: Essential Brain Health Habits to Start Now

Cognitive health is essential to brain health. Cognitive health means not only learning new information but being able to recall it later. It means continuing to learn and form social connections no matter your age. Cognitive health is vital for a healthy, lengthy life. 

It’s possible to reverse aging, not just with the body but with the mind as well. That’s because cognitive decline isn’t inevitable but it is common. Around 40% of adults over the age of 65 have some memory loss. No matter how old you are, there are many ways to prevent cognitive decline. Here are some you can begin practicing immediately. 

The Myth of Cognitive Decline 

Our cognitive abilities are ones we can continue to hone. It’s how we do things that require education, memory, understanding, language, reasoning, judgment and so much more. These actions are governed by the brain’s frontal lobe which oversees everything from the simplest physical reactions to the most complicated decisions. 

The frontal lobe continues to grow and develop during our first quarter-century, or as Maturation of the Adolescent Brain explains, “… the brain rewires itself from the onset of puberty up until 24 years old, especially in the prefrontal cortex. The rewiring is accomplished by dendritic pruning and myelination. Dendritic pruning eradicates unused synapses and is generally considered a beneficial process, whereas myelination increases the speed of impulse conduction across the brain’s region-specific neurocircuitry. The myelination also optimizes the communication of information…”

In essence, our brains “prune” what isn’t used or needed while developing what is vital. What the brain considers superfluous or essential are unique for each individual. This complex process begins in infancy and continues well into adulthood. However, this doesn’t mean that the brain stops developing at age 25. In fact, along with the prefrontal cortex, the temporal lobe (which helps us understand language), and the occipital lobe (which among other things aids our awareness of complex social cues) continues to develop. 

Throughout our lifetime, some parts of our brain may shrink. Others will continue to grow. In a Neuron article, Harvard psychologist Leah Somerville noted that “..structural development continues to progress for a surprisingly long time. One especially large study showed that for several brain regions, structural growth curves had not plateaued even by the age of 30, the oldest age in their sample…structural brain measures through adulthood show progressive volumetric changes from ages 15–90 that never ‘‘level off’’ and instead changed constantly throughout the adult phase of life.”

When looking at brain health, there’s no question that attention span, memory, and higher-level cognitive abilities like understanding language or making complex decisions often decline as we age. However, studies have shown that when some adults over the age of 65 were given cognitive tests they outperformed test takers several decades younger. Crafting a more youthful brain is possible. Because for most of us, cognitive decline is not inevitable anymore than obesity is inevitable. 

When it comes to healthy aging, physical health and cognitive decline are intricately linked. That’s why even as you embark on your journey toward better brain health, it’s important to make sure there aren’t any unseen obstacles. If your hormones are not at optimal levels, or your heart, kidney, and liver health is subpar, there’s a simple solution. Kyla offers at-home tests for just $99. Despite this low price, the tests cover a variety of areas that could lead to cognitive decline. High levels of cholesterol or cortisol, for example, have been linked to dementia in older adults. Kyla’s test reveals not just cortisol and cholesterol levels, but also kidney and liver health, vitamin deficiencies and much more. 

Begin by taking a simple, online quiz that will help you choose the best test. Once you’ve ordered, you’ll receive the testing kit and sample collection instructions in just a few days. Mail your sample back to our labs postage free. 

You’ll soon receive detailed results. From inflammation markers in your blood indicating an elevated cancer risk to your hormonal health, you’ll have information about the steps to take for healthy aging. Plus, you’ll learn the right lifestyle adjustments to make for optimal brain health. 

When you download the Kyla app, you’ll gain access to a new, cutting edge feature. Using data-driven analytics and your test results the Kyla app can estimate your biological age. This is the age your cells are, as opposed to your chronological age. It’s a key factor for healthy aging. You’ll also receive an estimated life expectancy. 

If you’re worried about cognitive decline, there are a number of ways to build a better brain. Because it turns out one of the most important aspects is believing you and your brain will be fully functioning when you are older.

Find Some Joy And Believe in Your Brain 

When it comes to healthy aging and building a youthful brain, it really is all about mind over matter. And if you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter. Anxiety, depression, and numerous other mental health issues are on the rise. Yet discovering ways to feel joy and gratitude play an outsized role in preventing cognitive decline. In fact, a recent study looking at almost 1,000 older adults concluded that people who are cheerful and enthusiastic experienced less memory decline during a 9-year period. 

Japan is home to nearly 100,000 citizens who have celebrated their hundredth birthday. Because of this, researchers have examined its culture and lifestyle for longevity clues. Many focused on the Japanese diet. However, what they eat is only a piece of the puzzle. Instead, attitudes about aging in Japan also play a critical role. While aging is usually celebrated in Japan as the development of wisdom, in the United States it’s frequently portrayed as a time of escalating illnesses, social isolation, and mental decline. 

Yale epidemiologist Becca Levy began examining the issue. Looking at the Ohio Longitudinal Study of Aging and Retirement, Levy found that respondents who had positive age beliefs when they were young lived an average 7.5 years longer than those who had more negative beliefs about growing older. This advantage remained even when responses were controlled for a host of factors including gender, age, health, and loneliness.

Why would our view of aging when we are young affect our later lives? Well one suggestion is that if we believe aging will be negative it increases stress as we get older. A study that examined mitochondria – the subcellular structure that supplies energy to the brain –– revealed that the mechanism that supplies them with energy is super powered in older adults who had less psychological stress during their lives. “We’re showing that older individuals’ state of mind is linked to the biology of their brain mitochondria, which is the first time that subjective psychosocial experiences have been related to brain biology,” Caroline Trumpff, assistant professor of medical psychology and one of the study’s authors explained on the Columbia University Irving Medical Center website. 

Study co-author Martin Picard, associate professor of behavioral medicine at Columbia University added that, “We think that the mitochondria in the brain are like antennae, picking up molecular and hormonal signals and transmitting information to the cell nucleus, changing the life course of each cell. And if mitochondria can change cell behavior, they can change the biology of the brain, the mind, and the whole person.”

If you’ve had consistently negative views toward aging, now is the time to work to change them. Befriend someone older and active. Take up new challenges. It’s possible to “change your brain” but it will take time and effort.

Nurture Connections

Feeling isolated and alone can affect not only your mental health but your brain health. One study showed that older adults who weren’t experiencing depression or other mental illnesses still showed cognitive decline when they were socially isolated. The good news is that on average more than half of people over the age of 65 have five close friends. This is considerably more than the average for people under age 65.

One way to reverse aging is to actively nurture connections. Find your people. It could be a community of writers, knitters, or bowlers. Even if you haven’t attended religious services for decades, finding your faith means finding people who will often work extra hard to make you feel welcome and included. Again, how we feel about ourselves plays an outsized role in cognitive health. In studies, respondents who scored high on a scale of belonging to a community also rated their health higher than those who said they did not. Belonging to a community is strongly related to mental health – which has a clear connection to cognitive health. 

Never Leave School

Although some seniors literally stay in school with university extension programs and even college adjacent housing, healthy aging doesn’t require formal classrooms. The goal is to never stop learning. Brain exercises like crossword puzzles can help. So can taking a cooking class or learning a new language. Discovery is vital for healthy aging and reducing the risk of cognitive decline. 

Playing a musical instrument is a different sort of brain exercise. It also decreases the risk of cognitive decline. One study discovered that musicians were 60% less likely to have senile dementia than non-musicians. A different study concluded that learning a new language can reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. One reason is that new experiences and brain exercises stimulate new neural connections while building up reserves that protect against cell loss in the future.    

Eat Well and Feed Your Brain

Plant-based diets like the Dietary Approach to Systolic Hypertension (DASH) and Mediterranean lengthen longevity partly because they reduce chronic inflammation which can lead to cancer and cognitive decline. These healthy ways of eating also improve heart health and blood sugar levels which helps maintain a youthful brain. 

Inspired by the DASH and Mediterranean diets, researchers created a new diet designed specifically to reduce cognitive decline and even reverse aging. The MIND Diet combines elements of both programs while focusing on foods scientifically proven to slow the rate of cognitive decline. Filled with nuts, beans, green leafy vegetables, legumes, whole grains, poultry, and fish along with generous use of olive oil, the diet is also low in added sugars, salts, ultra processed food, red meat and unhealthy fat sources. Additionally, it focuses on brain food including strawberries, blueberries, dark chocolate, and red wine. 

In a study of nearly 1,000 participants, the MIND diet was shown to be neuroprotective and actually improved cognition. Those who were on the diet scored the highest on mental tests – a performance that was the equivalent to being over seven years younger than participants who were not on the diet. Along with brain food, brain supplements like B complex, Vitamin E and ginkgo biloba have been shown to reduce cognitive decline. 

 Finally, preventing cognitive decline means getting regular check ups. People who are heavier than average and/ or have high blood pressure are statistically more likely to become cognitively impaired as they grow older. 

Extending your cognitive life will lengthen your healthspan. This is a term increasingly used by doctors. It simply means extending the number of years when you can be healthy and disease free. To learn more ways to achieve this, download the Kyla app today. 

Sources:

1. “Definition: Cognitive Abilty,” American Psychological Association. https://dictionary.apa.org/cognitive-ability
2. Arain, Mariam et al. “Maturation of the adolescent brain.” Neuropsychiatric disease and treatment vol. 9. 2013.https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3621648/#:~:text=There%20are%20several%20executive%20functions,development%20of%20the%20prefrontal%20cortex.