The Bad Habits That Wreck Your Brain

Today's Health Tips

                   

The Bad Habits That Wreck Your Brain

by Cassie Shortsleeve 

May 3, 2013

                                             

Your brain isn’t just for thinking. Throw a football, turn the steering wheel, kiss your girlfriend—your mind controls everything you do, explains David S. Liebeskind, M.D., a Men's Health advisor. That’s why it’s so important to keep yours healthy. 

But how? Scientists are starting to crack the code. Recent research has revealed plenty of measures you can take today to keep your mind sharp as you age.

Eat for Better Brain Function
 

In a brand new UCLA study, rats completed a maze slower after being fed a high-sugar diet. But adding omega-3 fatty acids protected them from the effects of the sugar. Click here for 13 Brain-Boosting Foods.

Challenge Yourself
 

“Regular mental challenges force you to think. Use it, or you’ll lose it,” says Constantine Lyketsos, Ph.D., professor at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center. When connections between neurons are reinforced, they're easier to use, says Liebeskind.

 

Switch Up Your News Source
 

Slave to the local news every a.m.? You’re neglecting an active reading schedule—and a whole part of your brain, says Allen Sills, M.D., associate professor of neurological surgery at Vanderbilt University. When you read, you develop concentration, which is crucial for healthy aging.

 

Ward off Depression
 

Mood disorders can be the result of chemical imbalance in the brain, says Sills. If you're no longer interested in things you used to love, ask a buddy if he has noticed a change. If he has, see a doc—losing interest in your hobbies is a major sign of clinical depression. An at-home remedy? Exercise, which helps balance the chemical cocktail. "It’s the poor man's Prozac," says Sills. (Follow our 100 Best Fitness Tips to learn how to stick with your workout, build huge muscles, and more!)

 

Know What’s Normal Memory Loss
 

Systems like the hippocampus—crucial for memory—age faster than other brain parts. Worried? Compare yourself to others your age. "Don’t remember where you parked, but everyone else is walking to the car? That may be a problem,” says Coslett. But if you—and all of your friends your age—have to write down a phone number, don’t worry.

 

Move to Remember More
 

A 2011 study found that the striatum, a brain area believed to handle memories, was larger in basketball players than non-athletes. A year of regular aerobic exercise can up the size of an adult’s hippocampus by 2 percent, says research from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.