Part 2 – Keeping Your Brain Healthy as You Age

Protecting Memory, Thinking and Independence Through Every Stage of Life

By: Dr. Avi Verma

In Part 1 of our Healthy Aging, Healthy Living series, we discussed an important principle: healthy aging is not simply about adding years to life, but about adding health, independence and quality to those years. One of the most important components of healthy aging is brain health. Our brain controls memory, movement, judgment, emotions, communication and our ability to manage everyday life. While occasional forgetfulness can be a normal part of aging, significant cognitive decline is not. Increasing evidence shows that many factors affecting brain health operate throughout our lifetime—meaning it is never too early or too late to begin protecting the brain.

Normal Forgetfulness or a Warning Sign?

Everyone occasionally forgets a name, misplaces keys or walks into a room and forgets why. These experiences can occur with normal aging.

More concerning are persistent or progressive changes that interfere with everyday life, such as:

• Repeatedly asking the same questions or forgetting recently learned information.
• Getting lost in familiar places.
• Increasing difficulty managing finances, medications or routine tasks.
• Becoming confused about dates, locations or familiar instructions.
• Noticeable changes in judgment, personality or behavior.

If memory problems begin affecting independence, they should not automatically be dismissed as “just getting older.” A medical evaluation can identify potentially treatable causes and determine whether further assessment is appropriate.

The Brain-Heart Connection

A healthy brain depends on a healthy cardiovascular system.

High blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, high LDL cholesterol, smoking and physical inactivity can damage blood vessels that supply the brain. Stroke and small-vessel disease can directly injure brain tissue and contribute to cognitive impairment.

In practical terms, what protects your heart often helps protect your brain. Managing blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar is therefore important not only for preventing heart disease and stroke, but also for supporting long-term cognitive health.

Exercise: Move for Your Brain

Physical activity is one of the most practical ways to support healthy aging.

For most adults, guidelines recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity each week, such as brisk walking, along with muscle-strengthening activities. Exercise supports cardiovascular health, improves mood, strengthens muscles and balance, and may contribute to better cognitive health.

Walking, swimming, cycling, dancing and gardening can all count. If you have been inactive or have significant medical conditions, discuss a new exercise program with your healthcare professional.

Sleep: Give Your Brain Time to Recover

Sleep is an active biological process essential for memory, attention, mood and overall health.

Persistent poor-quality sleep can impair concentration and memory. Sleep disorders such as obstructive sleep apnea can also interfere with restorative sleep and deserve medical attention.

Persistent loud snoring, witnessed pauses in breathing, morning headaches or excessive daytime sleepiness may be reasons to discuss sleep apnea with your physician.

Research continues to examine how sleep interacts with biological processes associated with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of cognitive decline.

Eat for Overall Brain and Heart Health

There is no single food proven to prevent Alzheimer’s disease. However, healthy dietary patterns can support cardiovascular and metabolic health, which are important for the brain.

Mediterranean-style and MIND (Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay) eating patterns emphasize vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans, nuts and fish while limiting highly processed foods, excess sugar and unhealthy fats.

Research on these diets and dementia prevention is continuing. They should be viewed as healthy eating patterns—not guaranteed treatments for preventing cognitive decline.

Adequate hydration and sufficient protein are also important, particularly for older adults seeking to preserve muscle strength and independence.

Keep Your Mind—and Your Social Life—Active

The brain benefits from continued learning and meaningful engagement.

Reading, learning a language, playing music, writing, teaching, gardening, pursuing hobbies and learning new skills can provide mental stimulation. Social connection is equally important. Time with family and friends, volunteering, community organizations and cultural or religious activities can support emotional well-being and help reduce social isolation.

Brain health is therefore not simply about solving puzzles—it is about remaining physically, mentally and socially engaged.

Protect Hearing and Vision

Hearing and vision deserve special attention as we age.

Untreated hearing loss can make communication difficult, contribute to social withdrawal and increase the effort required to understand conversations. Appropriate hearing evaluation and treatment can improve communication and quality of life.

Vision problems can also affect independence and safety. Importantly, the 2024 Lancet Commission on dementia prevention added untreated vision loss and high LDL cholesterol to its list of potentially modifiable dementia risk factors.

Regular hearing and eye examinations can therefore be important components of healthy aging.

Dementia Prevention Is a Lifelong Process

Brain health does not suddenly become important at age 65.

The 2024 Lancet Commission identified 14 potentially modifiable risk factors across the life course. These include limited education in early life; hearing loss, high blood pressure, obesity, traumatic brain injury and excessive alcohol consumption in midlife; and smoking, depression, physical inactivity, diabetes, social isolation, air pollution, high LDL cholesterol and untreated vision loss across later life.

The Commission estimated that addressing these factors could potentially prevent or delay nearly half of dementia cases worldwide. This is a population-level estimate, however—not a guarantee that an individual can prevent dementia.

The message is encouraging: brain health is a lifelong investment.

What About Family History?

Having a parent or sibling with Alzheimer’s disease can increase risk, but it does not mean dementia is inevitable. Genetics is only one part of a much larger picture that includes health, lifestyle and environmental factors.

A strong family history should encourage informed discussion with a healthcare professional rather than fear or fatalism.

When Should You Seek Medical Evaluation?

Persistent or progressive cognitive changes deserve medical attention.

A physician may review medications, sleep, mood, thyroid function, vitamin deficiencies, cardiovascular risk factors, hearing and other conditions that can contribute to memory problems. Cognitive assessments such as the MoCA (Montreal Cognitive Assessment) or MMSE (Mini-Mental State Examination) may be used when appropriate.

Diagnostic medicine is also advancing. Brain imaging, cerebrospinal-fluid testing and blood-based biomarkers are increasingly helping physicians evaluate Alzheimer’s-related changes.

In 2025, the FDA cleared a blood test measuring p-tau217 and beta-amyloid to aid in diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease in adults 55 and older who have signs and symptoms of cognitive decline. The test is not intended to be used by itself; results must be interpreted together with clinical information and other evaluations.

Your Brain-Health Checklist

Move: Aim for regular physical activity.

Monitor: Control blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar.

Eat wisely: Emphasize vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans, nuts and other minimally processed foods.

Sleep: Address persistent insomnia or possible sleep apnea.

Connect: Maintain meaningful relationships and community involvement.

Keep learning: Pursue mentally stimulating and purposeful activities.

Protect your senses: Address hearing and vision problems promptly.

Avoid tobacco: Seek help to quit smoking.

Limit alcohol: Avoid excessive consumption.

Protect your head: Use seat belts, appropriate helmets and fall-prevention measures.

The Bottom Line

Healthy aging begins long before old age. Every walk, healthy meal, blood-pressure check, good night’s sleep and meaningful conversation can contribute to protecting our future health.

We cannot control our age, our genes or every disease risk. But we can influence many of the factors that shape how we age.

The goal is not simply to live longer. It is to preserve the ability to think clearly, move confidently, remain connected, make our own decisions and participate meaningfully in life for as long as possible.

In Part 3 of IndoUS Tribune’s Healthy Aging, Healthy Living series, we will focus on another essential foundation of independence: maintaining muscle strength, balance, mobility and bone health as we age.

Medical Disclaimer

This article is intended for general educational and informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Readers should consult their physician or another qualified healthcare professional regarding medical conditions, symptoms, medications, exercise programs, dietary changes or screening recommendations. Do not begin, stop or change any medication or treatment without professional medical guidance. In case of a medical emergency, seek immediate medical attention.