Duke Neurologist Shares 3 Ways to Keep Your Brain Young At Any Age

(Duke Today, Stephen Schramm) — Several times a week, Ginger Newbold rises at 5:30 a.m. to lift weights and walk the treadmills at Planet Fitness. Now in her early 60s, she also sticks to a brain-healthy diet, loading up on blueberries and salmon. Her routine keeps her body strong, but it’s her mind she’s really protecting.

Both of her parents faced dementia before they died, and witnessing their decline left a lasting impact. Determined to chart a different path, Newbold now makes brain health a top priority.

“I just want to lead the kind of lifestyle that could ward off some of the cognitive decline I saw in my parents,” said Newbold, the Administrative Manager for the Gross Anatomy Lab and Human Fresh Tissue Lab at Duke University Hospital.

 

While unavoidable factors such as age and a family history of dementia can increase your risk of cognitive issues, experts point out that there are brain-healthy habits you can adopt to potentially keep your mind sharper longer.

“Our brain age doesn’t always correlate with our chronological age,” said Duke Neurologist Dr. Andy Liu, an Associate Professor in Neurology and Pathology and Associate Biomarker Core Lead in the Duke/UNC Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center. “I might see someone who’s in their 90s, but they act more like they’re in their 70s. That all speaks to what they do on a day-to-day basis.”

Inspired by Newbold’s mission, here are a few of the ways you can keep your brain healthy at any age.

Move your body

After the death of her mother, Betty, in 2019, Newbold committed herself to maintaining the health of her brain. To do that, she knew she’d have to make sure her entire body was healthy as well.

She went to the gym many mornings and tried to fit as many walks as she could into her daily routine. She reshaped her diet, eschewing red meat and adding more fiber-rich vegetables such as broccoli and healthy protein-packed snacks such as nuts and Greek yogurt.

“I feel a whole lot better,” Newbold said. “I have more energy. I don’t feel as drained at the end of the day. I’m able to stay sharp.”

Liu, who often consults with patients who are at risk of – or experiencing – cognitive decline, said that there’s a direct connection between behaviors that improve cardiovascular health and brain function.

Regular exercise – a good goal is 30 minutes of activity per day, five days per week – and diets rich in antioxidants, fiber and fatty acids, and low in saturated fats and added sugars help keep the cardiovascular system healthy and able maintain blood flow and oxygen delivery to the brain.

“We like to say, ‘What’s healthy for the heart is healthy for the brain, too,’” Liu said. “There’s a lot of overlap there. So controlling blood pressure, cholesterol and high blood glucose are great for the brain long-term.”

Stay social

During the pandemic lockdown, Liu saw firsthand how reduced personal interaction—especially among older adults—took a toll on mental health and cognitive function.

“When people were isolated, I saw a lot of people significantly decline very quickly,” Liu said.

Activities associated with social connections require significant brain function. Without activating the parts of the brain associated with listening and responding to conversations, picking up non-verbal cues, or putting your thoughts into spoken words, they can grow weak.

Liu said its similar to how muscles that aren’t used begin to lose their power.

That’s why it’s important to maintain social connections and put yourself in situations where personal interactions occur.

Whether it’s talking with friends and family or being an active member of your wider community, the more social connections you can make, the healthier your brain will be.

“Having conversation with family members or just going out and hanging out with friends has a lot of good brain health in it,” Liu said. “You have a lot of conversations and use a lot of executive function.”

Test your mind

One of the joys of Newbold’s position at Duke is that she’s constantly learning. She cherishes opportunities to hear about how her lab helps surgeons enhance their skills. She enjoys digging deeper into the digital tools – such as OnCore and SAP – that make her job as an administrator easier.

“Since I joined Duke, I feel younger because every single day I have the opportunity to learn something new and keep my brain engaged,” Newbold said.

Liu said learning a new language, cooking new types of food or picking up a new musical instrument are effective ways to engage different sections of your brain. The important thing, Liu said, is to find a new hobby or interest that you enjoy and are more likely to stick to.

Duke staff and faculty can activate their minds with free access to more than 21,000 video lessons on a range of topics with LinkedIn Learning. Older, or retired, Duke community members can connect with others while exploring topics such as art, music and history with Duke’s chapter of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute.

One brain-healthy habit Newbold has adopted is starting each day with some of the New York Times’ daily puzzles, such as Wordle and the mini crossword. Duke community members can get free access to the New York Times through Duke University Libraries.

Liu said weaving fun brain exercises into your day is a helpful habit. To make it even better, he recommends solving a variety of puzzles – perhaps adding number-based games such as Sudoku – to give your brain a more-comprehensive workout.

Test your knowledge of Duke places by clicking the image above to solve Working@Duke’s custom crossword puzzle. You can download a printable PDF version here. You can find the answers to the puzzle by clicking here.

Test your knowledge of Duke places by clicking the image above to solve Working@Duke’s custom crossword puzzle. You can download a printable PDF version here. You can find the answers to the puzzle by clicking here.