The new live-well goal? It’s not just a long life. It’s a long health span. That means more years where you’re physically vibrant and cognitively sharp. (AKA enjoying your life to the fullest.) And part of living a long, healthy life is doing what you can to reduce your risk of dementia — starting today.
One in 10 older adults have dementia, with another two in 10 having mild cognitive impairment, found a study in JAMA Neurology. Dementia is an umbrella term for diseases that cause memory, thinking, and decision-making problems, the most common being Alzheimer’s.
That’s scary, to be sure, but there’s an upside: a healthy lifestyle makes a big difference in your dementia risk. In fact, research has found that people who practice four or five of the healthy lifestyle factors below have a 60% lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s compared to those doing just one or none.
Ahead, five things you can start doing today.
The Top 5 Mid-Life Hacks To Reduce the Risk of Dementia
#1 Stay Active
You may already know the magic weekly number: 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week. It’s what’s recommended for overall heart health — and it’s been shown to keep your brain young, too.
Exercise boosts brain flow to your muscles and brain. That increase in circulation helps bring a wealth of oxygen and nutrients that your noggin needs to carry out its functions. Besides, staying active is also important for your mood and can reduce symptoms of depression as they crop up, according to research. That’s important, since depression is another risk factor for dementia.
RELATED: The Mental Benefits of Exercise: How Regular Physical Activity Can Improve Your Mood and Cognition
#2 Don’t Smoke
Smoking does a double-whammy for increasing dementia risk by harming both your heart and your brain. Most notably, tobacco use triggers inflammation and oxidative stress. Problems can pop up whether you smoke often or occasionally — even if you are a nonsmoker regularly exposed to second-hand smoke.
Quitting smoking is no doubt a challenge. It takes a lot of planning and effort and sometimes multiple tries to make it stick. When you’re ready, the first person you can reach out to is your doctor, who can provide you with resources to help you quit. Or, you can contact the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s quit line by texting QUITNOW to 333888 or calling 1-800-QUIT-NOW.
#3 Limit Alcohol Use
Sipping a glass of wine or having a cold beer at a game can be a really enjoyable experience. But if you do drink, make sure you moderate your intake, which according to the CDC, means limiting yourself to one drink or less per day if you’re a woman and two drinks or less per day if you’re a man. If you’re consuming more than that, know that decreasing how much you drink has been shown to be a boost for your cognitive health.
One of the great things about the sober-curious movement? There are so many new and yummy options for alcohol-free sips, from canned mocktails to alcohol-removed wine, and fun sodas and kombuchas that make happy hour, well…happy.
#4 Follow a Mediterranean-Style Diet
One of the best brain-boosting diets out there is the MIND diet. This is an eating pattern that’s based on the Mediterranean diet but also focuses on nutrient-rich brain foods known for reducing the odds of dementia, like an abundance of green leafy veggies, berries, whole grains, fish, nuts, and olive oil.
These foods are believed to help safeguard your brain from cell-damaging oxidative stress and inflammation. Plus, following a Mediterranean diet is known to be excellent for your heart health, weight management, diabetes, and cancer prevention, among many other health perks.
To follow this eating pattern, you don’t have to stick to the foods only found in the Mediterranean region. Rather, focus on a plant-based diet that limits added sugars and saturated fats, plus eating those smarts-sharpening foods (like berries and greens) to adequately help nourish your brain.
RELATED: 9 Mediterranean Lifestyle Habits That Are Just As Important As Diet
#5 Keep Your Mind Active
It’s so easy to veg out in front of your phone or TV, but don’t forget to make time for cognitively stimulating activities, too. Read, write, play games, learn something new (knitting, anyone?), figure out how to grow herbs on your windowsill, make music, try a word puzzle. Make it whatever excites you.
These types of activities preserve your brain structure and cognitive abilities as you age. Besides, if you do some of them with others, you’ll also benefit from the role social connection plays in keeping your brain young.
The Takeaway
Staying sharp as you age doesn’t have to be complicated. A life filled with brightly colored nutritious foods, daily movement, social connections, and cognitive challenges is one that’s good for your body and mind. We’ll grab a mocktail, and cheers to that.
