A lifetime of mental stimulation—like reading, writing, and learning new skills—may help protect the brain as we age. People with the highest levels of cognitive enrichment had a much lower risk of Alzheimer’s and experienced symptoms years later than those with the lowest levels.

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• Plant-based diet quality was divided into healthful and unhealthful.
• In a longitudinal analysis, the Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias risk fell among those with a large decline in the unhealthful index.

The direction of the risk for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias differed based on the quality of a plant-based diet, according to data published in Neurology.

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A diet that’s rich in plant-based foods can be healthier for you and your brain — even if you start it later in life, a new study found.

Eating high-quality plant foods like vegetables, whole grains, fruits, nuts and legumes was associated with a reduced risk for Alzheimer’s and dementia in the study, published April 8 in Neurology, the journal for the American Academy of Neurology.

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Increasing the number of steps you take every day may slow cognitive decline in older adults who already have biological signs of early Alzheimer’s disease, according to a new observational study.

The presence of beta amyloid and tau proteins are hallmark signs of Alzheimer’s. Amyloid can begin to accumulate in the spaces between neurons as early as one’s 30s, potentially affecting communication between brain cells. As amyloid deposits grow, they can lead to a rapid spread of abnormal tau proteins, which form tangles inside brain cells, thus killing them.

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Researchers across USC are studying how lifestyle and environment influence dementia risk and resilience. They’re finding that what’s good for the body is also good for the brain.

Read more about it HERE