“... at the moment, the best advice for preventing dementia is to eat a heart-healthy diet and stay mentally and physically active.”   Kantrowitz, Barbara and Springen, Karen.  “Confronting Alzheimer’s.”  Newsweek. June 18, 2007: 61.

“Regular exercise builds up the body’s levels of BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) a ‘Miracle-Gro for the brain’ that is critical for learning, memory and many other processes of higher thought.”  Carmichael, Mary.  “Stronger, Faster, Smarter.”  Newsweek. March 26, 2007: 43.

“Early studies suggest that people who exercise at least a few times a week tend to develop Alzheimer’s less often and later than their more sedentary counterparts.”  Newsweek. March 26, 2007: 44

“For the first time, scientists have coaxed the human brain into growing new nerve cells – simply by putting subjects on a three-month aerobic-workout regimen.”  Newsweek. March 26, 2007: 40

“In the Framingham Heart Study, which tracked nearly 900 healthy older men and women living in the Boston suburb for roughly nine years, people with the highest blood levels of DHA (Docosahexaenoic acid) – they ate about three servings of fish per week – had about half the risk of dementia compared to those with lower levels.”  “Staying Sharp, How to Avoid Brain Drain as You Age.”  Nutrition Action Health Letter. June 2007: 3.

“We saw a doubling of the risk of Alzheimer’s disease among those who ate the most saturated fat versus those who ate the least,” says Chicago Health and Aging Project researcher Martha Clare Morris.  (Those who ate the most sat fat averaged 25 grams a day, while those who ate the least averaged half that much.)”  Nutrition Action Health Letter. June 2007: 4

“People who averaged roughly three servings a day of vegetables had a 40 percent slower rate of cognitive decline than those who ate roughly one serving a day.” Nutrition Action Health Letter. June 2007: 4

“Keeping your mind active and your memory sharp is a key part of aging well and enjoying better quality of life as you grow older.  The good news is that by challenging and engaging your brain, and by continuing to learn throughout your life, you can help maintain your healthy brain.  In fact, simple activities like attempting (and maybe even finishing!) the daily crossword puzzle, … can make a world of difference.”  AARP’s Staying Sharp Program.  2007.  AARP.  13 July 2007.

“There are many expensive techniques on the market that offer to strengthen the mind, but most have not been empirically proven to work.”  Vedantam, Shankar.  “Put Your Mind to It.”  Washington Post.  2 Jan. 2007.

“Participation in leisure activities is associated with a reduced risk of development of dementia, both Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia.  The reduction in risk is related to the frequency of participation.  According to our models, for example, elderly persons who did crossword puzzles four days a week (four activity-days) had a risk of dementia that was 47 percent lower than that among subjects who did puzzles once a week (one activity-day).”  Verghese, Joe M.D., et al.  “Leisure Activities and the Risk of Dementia in the Elderly.”  The New England Journal of Medicine. 348 (2003):  2508-2516.

“Beyond middle age, people worry about their mental sharpness getting ‘rusty.’  This study (The Advanced Cognitive Training for Independent and Vital Elderly - ACTIVE) offers hope that cognitive training may be useful.”  Notes Richard Suzman, Ph.D., director of the NIH/National Institute on Aging’s Behavioral and Social Research Program, which sponsored the work.  “ACTIVE has shown that relatively brief targeted cognitive exercises can produce durable changes in the skills taught. “  Sciencedaily.com.  “Mental Exercise Helps Maintain Some Senior’ Thinking Skills.” 20 Dec 2006

“Studies show that one of the best things you can do for memory improvement is physical exercise. … researchers have found that exercise can increase your brainpower, help put off normal aging-related memory loss and, perhaps, even prevent dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.”  MayoClinic.com.  Memory Improvement: Exercise Keeps Your Mind Sharp. 30 April 2007. 

“Exercise increases blood flow to your whole body, including your brain.  And exercise seems to slow the loss of brain tissue that typically begins in your 40s.  Studies have found that exercise seems to delay or sometimes prevent these specific aging-related changes in your brain.  And in some cases, exercise may even provide memory improvement.”  Memory Improvement: Exercise Keeps Your Mind Sharp. 30 April 2007.