How old is your brain?
That may seem like a simple question.
After all, isn’t it just the number of years you’ve lived?
However, the truth is, your brain may be younger or older than you think, depending on your health and lifestyle.
In fact, it’s well known that chronic pain actually accelerates brain aging, increasing your risk of cognitive decline.
But the reverse is also true: certain lifestyle factors can help roll back brain aging and reduce the risk of disease.
Here are the five habits that research shows can make your brain eight years younger…
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Protective habits slow brain aging
The research, by a team of scientists at the University of Florida, tracked 128 adults in midlife and older adulthood, most of whom lived with a chronic pain condition, like knee osteoarthritis. The team performed MRIs to assess the “true age” of participants’ brains both at the start and at checkpoints across the study.
Overall, the research identified certain factors that acted as “protective habits,” effectively reducing brain age.
These included:
- Getting regular restorative sleep
- Maintaining a healthy body weight
- Practicing effective stress management
- Avoiding tobacco
- Maintaining supportive relationships
According to the researchers, these habits showed a strong and lasting association with younger-looking brains — despite the acceleration of brain aging caused by chronic pain.
In fact, the connection was so strong that participants who reported the highest number of these protective habits began the study with brains that looked eight years younger than their actual age — and their brain aging continued to progress more slowly throughout the two-year follow-up.
“Literally for every additional healthy promoting factor, there is some evidence of neurobiological benefit,” said senior researcher Kimberly Sibille, PH.D. “Our findings support the growing body of evidence that Lifestyle is medicine.”
Although the research centered on people experiencing chronic pain, the authors note that habits such as reducing stress, strengthening social support and maintaining healthy sleep patterns are likely to benefit brain aging in a wide range of individuals.
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The one-two punch that beats pain and brain aging
According to the researchers, practicing as many of these habits as possible on a daily basis could be the key to a younger brain for life.
It’s a tip they say goes whether you’re living with chronic pain or not.
And here’s another tip…
If you do have chronic pain, try switching to the keto diet.
Research from the School of Health Sciences at the University of Sydney showed that people who ate keto for 12 weeks showed a significantly greater reduction in pain, plus improvements in depression, anxiety and inflammation — all factors that can negatively impact brain health.
Additionally, a study from the University of California- San Francisco found that the ketogenic diet switches off inflammatory genes and has an anti-inflammatory on the brain to guard against aging.
It’s a diet that acts as a one-two punch to knock out both pain and brain inflammation.
Remember, as Doctor Sibille pointed out, “Lifestyle is medicine.” And your diet is one of the most important lifestyle factors to improve for a healthier brain and body.
Sources:
These simple habits could make your brain 8 years younger, study finds – ScienceDaily
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