What can you do for yourself to remain brain healthy at any age?

What is brain health?” is the first question asked in a National Institute on Aging article addressing cognitive health in older adults. Defining brain health includes the following:

• Cognitive health—how well you think, learn, and remember
• Motor function—how well you make and control movements, including balance
• Emotional function—how well you interpret and respond to emotions (both pleasant and unpleasant)
• Tactile function—how well you feel and respond to sensations of touch, including pressure, pain, and temperature

Interestingly, a recent summary of thoughts from the George Washington University College of Medicine argued that the brain of an elderly person is much more plastic than previously believed. Although brain function slows with age, the flexibility increases. The interaction between the right and left hemispheres becomes more harmonious. 

This same research alleges that peak intellectual activity occurs at about age 70 when the brain can work at full strength. The anatomy and physiology behind this phenomenon reflect the increased amount of brain myelin, which acts as an insulator around a nerve, allowing better function by about 300% compared to average.

The neurons in the brain remain throughout life. However, the connections disappear if a person does not engage in mental work. Absent-mindedness and forgetfulness are due to an overabundance of information, not a lack of function. 

The George Washington article goes on to claim that the most productive age of a person is from 60 to 70, the second most is 70 to 80, and the third most is 50 to 60. The average age of Nobel Prize laureates is 62, and the average age of presidents of the largest 100 companies in the world is 63. If true, many younger people have opportunities to improve and other older folks are already enjoying the improved abilities.  

What can you do for yourself to remain brain healthy at any age? AgingCare shares the top ten suggestions:

• Play games, have fun, find solutions, do stimulating mental challenges—encourage thinking by doing stimulating activities such as puzzles, cards, and reading
• Encourage multigenerational activities—facilitate social interactions across age groups, helping in both directions
• Write—keep a diary, share thoughts, pen an autobiography, catalog family pictures
• Eat well—a plant slant diet has been shown to decrease many illnesses including some forms of cancer
• Avoid tobacco—this substance is never good at any age and is very addictive
• Start walking—moving naturally is part of the Blue Zones Project principles
• Create and maintain friendships—loneliness is as toxic as smoking
• Laugh—humor is therapeutic as well as a great social connector
• Socialize—nothing good happens when you stay home
• Get positive feedback—sharing good thoughts helps both the giver and receiver

Obviously, what is good for the brain is good for the body. The above suggestions are sensible for any aged person who wants to improve both mental and physical functioning.