Advice on smart aging is plentiful, but beware of costly nostrums

If you want to be old and smart, there’s plenty of advice.

Sing in a choir or hum quietly to yourself, experts say. Iron a shirt, eat a walnut or a berry, head to Starbucks, doggy paddle or take a nap. Listen to your doctor and thank a pesky old fruit fly.

Those are among the many suggestions aimed at a big, aging boomer generation, tapping into one of their most spidery fears about senior years: cognitive decline.

Music exercises brain cells, and done with others, it makes social connections, which peppy experts believe also gives us a cognitive workout. Aerobic exercises are key, and swimming is rhythmic and relaxing, resting your brain, which also importantly happens during sleep, when there is a lot of other healthy brain cleanup. Coffee (thank goodness) and walnuts are proven to help – along with blueberries, which seem to be good for everything. Ironing may just make you look less rumpled and befuddled.

And the fruit flies? We’ll get to that.

There is good news about all this: Experts have settled on proven ways to keep your brain healthy, and there are new discoveries continually. Just a few weeks ago, for instance, common medications for shingles and high cholesterol were shown to reduce dementia risks.

So, the first tip: Stay informed.

Healthy body. Experts say other ailments cause the mastermind organ in your head to lose power.

“Medical conditions can raise the risk of problems with thinking and memory – particularly conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease,” said Logan Jarrell, RN, a registered nurse and NICHE (Nurses Improving Care for Health System Elders) age-friendly coordinator at Beebe Healthcare.

Jarrell stresses regular checkups, and attention to signs of high blood pressure and high cholesterol, which both have a direct link to cognitive decline. The brain needs 20% of your blood through a complex network, so either condition can significantly hinder its operations.

“Unhealthy patterns of cholesterol also could cause higher levels of amyloid that contribute to Alzheimer's, in the same way it promotes heart disease," said Bruce Reed, a specialist in the topic at the UC-Davis Alzheimer's Center.

Brain food. Jarrell recommends the DASH or Mediterranean diet, along with omega-3 fatty acids (salmon or mackerel), flaxseed and chia seeds. Other researchers suggest nuts, olive oil, leafy vegetables, beans and legumes. DASH is short for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension.

The good news: While experts suggest limiting many favorites (Thrasher’s fries come to mind), most say you can indulge sometimes.

Exercise. Obesity doubles the risk of cognitive decline, researchers say, and exercise pauses it (again, blood flow), so try for 30 minutes a day at least.

Don’t smoke; limit drinking. There are various opinions about the safe level of alcohol, but it does, notably, now have its own acronym, ARBD (alcohol-related brain disease), so the old jokes about killing brain cells – well, alcohol is closely linked to brain cell and nerve damage, and any amount probably causes some.

Sleep enough. “Many older adults struggle with adequate sleep and a sleep schedule,” said Jarrell, noting that research shows sleep deprivation hinders memory, attention and decision-making. Over time, experts say, it leads to cognitive decline. “When one sleeps, the brain reorganizes and recharges itself, and removes toxic waste byproducts,” said Andy Eugene, a sleep researcher at the Mayo Clinic.

Connections. Even simple conversation requires healthy brain activity. Jarrell said Mayo Clinic researchers show socializing releases chemicals such as serotonin and dopamine, which improve mood and fight off dementia.

Puzzling. Experts generally agree that stimulating your brain with something other than “Gilligan’s Island” reruns is beneficial, including crosswords and Wordle. But experts also suggest for a better brain workout, try learning something new – a challenging hobby, art class or music lesson.

Those supplements. No proven benefit, says Harvard Health, and lots of debate about those having testimonial ads with old pharmacists touting their benefits. Jarrell also suggests we take all medication thoughtfully with doctor guidance.

Assessments. The “brain gauge” costing $3,300 will measure your brain health and offer guidance, but Mass General Brigham also has a free assessment that gives you a brain health score (yes, including that 4-drink question).

And those fruit flies? Because they age quickly (death in about two months), experts use their tiny brains (somehow) to study ours, and they’ve discovered a buildup of something called filamentous actin, which prevents brain cleansing and rebuilding. “By tweaking a few specific genes in aging fruit fly neurons, the researchers prevented F-actin buildup, maintained cellular recycling and extended the healthy lifespan of fruit flies by approximately 30%,” UCLA researchers reported last fall, suggesting the little old guys could help us make a big step forward.