When it comes to the mind, use it or lose it

updated 7:31 p.m. ET April 6, 2006

When Kimberly McClain noticed herself struggling to remember simple details, even what her family had for dinner the night before, she got worried.

She worried because of a family history of dementia and a fellow church member’s recent diagnosis, at 54, of early onset Alzheimer’s disease.

Mostly, she worried because she was only 43.

“Just my short-term memory — I was really noticing a shift in it, and it was very annoying,” says McClain, now 45, a marriage and family therapist from Los Angeles.

She sought a doctor’s advice and became part of a two-week study on improving brain health. The results of that study and other research suggest that lifestyle choices can be as important as genetics in determining how our brains age, says Dr. Gary Small, director of the UCLA Center on Aging, who led the study.

“Our brains age just the way our bodies age, but there’s a lot that we can do to fight against it and keep ourselves mentally fit,” says Small, author of “The Memory Bible” (Hyperion, 2002) and “The Memory Prescription” (Hyperion, 2004).

Prevention through lifestyle changes
Simple lifestyle changes can help combat, and sometimes reverse, the memory loss that comes with getting older, Small says. And while there are no guarantees, these changes may prevent or delay Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.

• Improve your diet. Research suggests a heart-healthy diet is also good for the brain, says Elizabeth Edgerly, chief program officer for the Alzheimer’s Association of Northern California and spokesperson for the group’s “Maintain Your Brain” campaign.

Avoid high fat, high cholesterol foods, and choose those rich in omega-3 fatty acids (fish, beans, walnuts), antioxidants (dark-skinned fruits and vegetables) and vitamins. Check with your doctor before adding vitamin supplements. Tobacco and excess alcohol are no-no’s.

Small suggests eating five small meals a day to maintain a consistent blood-sugar level and keep the brain full of nutrients.

It’s OK to indulge occasionally, he adds. “Don’t deprive yourself too much. Have a little bit of that favorite food, but in small portions.”

• Exercise. Physical fitness protects against high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, stroke and diabetes — all risk factors for Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.

“Your body’s health can very much predict the health of your brain,” says Carey Gleason, a dementia researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “It’s important to view the body and the brain as a system working together.”

At 93, Arthur Zitzner of West Orange, N.J., walks and goes to the gym in the winter and swims in the summer. “I have lots of interests,” says the former sales manager.

With lively eyes and an infectious grin, Zitzner was one of several residents at Green Hill retirement center who attributed the mental fitness they enjoy today to exercise routines established decades ago.

Edgerly agrees. “You need to make the changes in your 40s and 50s if you want to reduce your risk 30 years from now.”

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