Does exercise keep my brain sharp?
Regular exercise demonstrably keeps your brain sharper, as long as serious cognitive decline has not yet set in. The best-supported approach: 45 to 60 minutes of moderate-intensity activity per session, a few times a week.
Yes, exercise keeps your brain sharper at every age. An analysis of more than 258,000 participants shows consistent, small to moderate improvements in memory, planning, focus and general thinking ability. Even light physical activity already helps.
For people over 50, the picture is just as positive. Aerobic exercise, strength training and tai chi all work. Sessions of 45 to 60 minutes at at least a moderate intensity deliver the most benefit.
Which type of exercise works best depends on your goal. Aerobic exercise scores highest for general thinking ability. Strength training helps most with planning and focus, while mind-body practices such as tai chi or yoga help most with memory. Combining strength training with a mental task at the same time appeared to help slightly more in older adults with cognitive complaints, but that evidence is still limited by small numbers of participants.
For people with Parkinson's disease there are early encouraging signs. In a study of 130 people, six months of cycling at home led to better brain connectivity and better cognitive control. Exercise may therefore be able to slow decline even in a serious brain condition.
Exercise is not a miracle cure, however. Research in older adults with memory complaints showed that 18 months of intensive exercise did not improve memory noticeably more than in people who did not exercise. In people with advanced dementia, no benefit was seen after 24 weeks of training either. The effect therefore varies from person to person and from situation to situation.
Based on one large overview of the evidence, several analyses combining many studies and individual studies in people. Two well-designed studies show no clear effect in specific smaller groups of people, which is an important caveat within the otherwise broadly positive picture.
Is it bad for your brain if you don't get enough exercise for years on end?
Years of too little exercise is associated with a clearly elevated risk of memory problems and dementia. Moving more, even lightly, is the most concrete form of protection you can build in.
How do you keep your brain healthy as you age?
Combining more physical activity with staying mentally active and eating a diet low in sugar and higher in omega-3 fatty acids currently gives you the best chance of a healthy brain. Spermidine and new insights into how the brain cleans itself are, for now, interesting developments to follow rather than actionable advice.
What keeps your memory sharp in later life?
Getting good sleep, eating mindfully according to the MIND diet and engaging in targeted cognitive training have the strongest support for protecting your memory in later life. Some factors, such as the UV-skin link, are still too preliminary to act on.
Does watching a lot of television affect your brain?
Watching more than 3.5 hours of television per day is associated with faster memory decline in people aged 50 and over, although it has not been proven that watching television itself is the cause. Balance long stretches in front of the screen with activities that challenge your brain more.
Does learning a new language help keep your brain healthy?
Actively using two languages throughout your life is associated with a lower risk of dementia and a brain that continues to function well for longer, but learning a language as an adult does not yet provide comparable protection. If you want the benefits, it comes down to years of active use, not learning alone.
Does your brain age faster than the rest of your body?
Whether your brain ages faster than the rest of your body varies from person to person, but the consequences are significant: a biologically old brain increases the risk of Alzheimer's more than threefold. Keep an eye on your blood pressure, sleep and lifestyle, as these have the most demonstrable influence on brain ageing.