A Walk on the Cerebral Side

Hate the thought of losing your mental edge -- or worse, growing senile -- as you age? Well, here's a simple way to slash your risk of dementia by 73 percent:

Go for a power walk. People who regularly walk may be that much less likely to develop dementia compared with their couch-potato peers. Yeah, it's that simple!

More Blood, Please
Vascular dementia is the second most common form of dementia after Alzheimer's. It's the nosedive that memory and other cognitive functions can take when ailing blood vessels restrict -- and sometimes block -- the flow of blood to the brain. But because exercise -- even mild exercise like walking -- increases cerebral blood flow, it may shrink the risk. (Try keeping your brain sharp with RealAge's daily crossword puzzle.)

Other Brain Savers
People with high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol up their odds of vascular dementia, so controlling those conditions is a start toward staying sharp. Here are a few other brain boosters to try:

• Drink up! (Juice, that is.) Here's why.
• Slim down. Get your BMI under 25. Here's how watching your weight is good for your memory.
• Pop the right pills. Vitamin E and a daily aspirin are a good start. Here's the lowdown on what you need and why.

Physical activity and dementia risk in the elderly: findings from a prospective Italian study. Ravaglia, G. et al., Neurology 2008 May 6;70(19 Pt 2);1786-1794.