4. About 40% of dementia cases could be prevented or delayed by improving daily habits
When it comes to a healthy lifestyles, little changes can go a long way. Research is increasingly finding we may be able to reduce our risk for dementia. Tweaks to our sleep, diet, social lives and exercise habits all add up. Even people who have genetic risk factors can benefit.
Now, scientists have created an online tool — the Brain Care Score — to help people gauge and track risks to their brain health. (You can check your score here.)
One recent study found that each 5-point increase in a brain care score was associated with a 27% lower composite risk of dementia, stroke and depression.
“What was surprising to us was just how powerful it was,” says Dr. Kevin Sheth, director of Yale University’s Center for Brain and Mind Health and a co-author of the study. Sheth says the findings have led him to tweak some of his own habits — he’s swapped sugary desserts for fruit at some meals and added more leafy greens to his diet. Get started boosting your brain health.
5. Talking to your ‘parts’ can help you deal with stress and maybe change your life
Ever felt paralyzed by stress? Worn down by that inner voice critiquing your choices? A therapeutic approach called Internal Family Systems, or IFS, is growing in popularity. It’s based on the idea that each of us has multiple parts or perspectives inside us — for example, people may have an inner critic, a worrier, a protector. The method involves learning to embrace all your parts, treat them with compassion and figure out what they may be telling you.
Some patients have called it “life-changing.” While some therapists say the evidence isn’t there yet, some small studies show IFS can benefit people with specific issues, including PTSD, stress and depression. And more research is underway.
An increasing number of therapists are trained in IFS, but you can try getting to know your “internal family” on your own. Start here.
6. Weight training can help with anxiety and depression (among other things)
Strength training is good for your bones, joints, heart — and now it turns out, it benefits your mood, too. An analysis of more than 30 clinical trials found people who did strength training at least two to three times a week had a reduction of symptoms of depression. And other research found it can reduce anxiety, too.
And a little goes a long way. While it’s increasingly common to see female weightlifters on social media, women don’t have to become bodybuilders to see the benefits. A recent study found that women need to do less exercise than men to change their baseline of aerobic and muscular strength. If lifting weights at the gym isn’t your thing, try exercises using resistance bands or your own body weight, such as squats or push-ups.
Find out more about the many benefits of resistance training.
7. Ultra-processed foods are linked to poor mental health, too
Americans consume more than half their daily calories from ultra-processed foods — think fast food, sugary drinks, packaged snacks. Researchers say there’s consistent evidence that eating more of these foods is correlated with sickness, including mental health struggles.
In fact, an extensive new analysis found roughly a 20-to-50% increased risk of depressive symptoms in people who eat diets high in ultra-processed foods.
It’s not yet clear how much is too much. Researchers say it may vary based on people’s lifestyles. The FDA is considering a label that would flag foods that contain high amounts of sodium, sugar and saturated fat. But in the meantime, if a food contains many ingredients you wouldn’t find in your own kitchen, that’s a telltale sign it’s ultra-processed.
Here’s the skinny on the effects of ultra-processed foods on our brains and bodies.
8. Scientists are learning how the brain removes waste and what that means for Alzheimer’s, headaches, depression and more
Experts have identified another miracle of sleep. To stay healthy, our brains need to wash away the debris created by the billions of cells that keep them running. New research is finding that during deep sleep, slow electrical waves serve to synchronize our neurons, effectively turning them into tiny pumps that push fluid from deep in the brain to its surface. From there, the waste is transported to the liver and kidneys to be removed from the body.
Problems with brain waste removal might be a factor in Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, headache and even depression. So, finding ways to help an impaired brain clean itself could help develop treatments for a wide array of disorders.
New insights into the brain’s waste-removal system could one day help researchers better understand and prevent many different brain disorders. (Andriy Onufriyenko/Getty Images)
9. A high-fat, low-carb diet could help some people with mental illness
A few years ago, some patients started experimenting with the ketogenic diet, which is high fat and very low carb, to manage mental health symptoms. Researchers took note, and now, around a dozen clinical trials are in the works, testing the diet’s effect on mental illness, including bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and depression.
There are a few working theories as to why it might help. For one, the diet brings blood sugar and insulin sensitivity under control, both of which are linked with mental health problems. It also may provide a workaround for dysfunction in mitochondria, the powerhouses of our cells, which could lead to a healthier brain.
Early results from studies are promising. The only downside? Some clinicians worry the diet — which involves giving up common comfort foods like bread and sweets — may be too hard for some patients to follow.
