“Use it or lose it” is the advice Dr. Stephen Kiraly dispenses for taking care of your brain. A clinical assistant professor in psychiatry at the University of British Columbia, he strongly believes that people can maintain and improve their brain health in much the same way as they can improve their physical health.

While a growing number of Canadians are now aware of the benefits of a healthy lifestyle to maintaining heart health and preventing disease, few are focused on improving the health of their brains. “It’s a neglected organ,” laments Kiraly. He says there are two main ways to promote a healthy brain: increase physical activity and increase mental activity.

Physical exercise is one of the most effective ways of maintaining brain health. For one thing, it improves circulation. Almost one-third of the blood pumped with each heartbeat goes directly to the brain, so it is critical to have healthy, unclogged arteries and veins to ensure the brain receives the blood it needs to thrive. When circulation is good, blood can flow into all the nooks and crannies of the brain, refreshing the “thinking cells,” says Kiraly.

Second, exercise helps to curtail diseases that can eventually affect the brain, such as heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, obesity and hypertension. It also enhances brain metabolism and helps ensure that the many functions of the brain operate at a high level. Scientific studies have shown that people who exercise show improved self-esteem and mental health. Physical activity leads to the release of chemicals that improve communication between the brain and other parts of the body and boost mental energy and clarity, alertness, reaction time and motivation. As well, the release of endorphins is known to promote a healthy sense of well-being.

Regular exercise also helps people to sleep better. That, in turn, is associated with improved mental function and immune-system response. In addition, “an active lifestyle reduces risk of stroke, depression and dementia,” says Kiraly. “Reduction of risk of these disorders alone increases your life expectancy by four to five years.”

Indeed, a simple program of reg-ular mild to moderate exercise can have dramatic effects on brain health and longevity. “If you want to keep your brain working like a well-oiled machine, use exercise as the lubricant,” he says.

As well as physical activity, another major driver of brain health is mental activity. It is actually possible to make the brain work better by accumulating more knowledge. A very gradual decline in mental function with aging can be counteracted by acquiring new wisdom and learning new skills. When some parts of the brain get weaker, other parts can take over and become stronger. Lack of brain stimulation can cause personal “brain drain.”

To protect against this, Kiraly recommends multi-tasking activities, active involvement (playing a game rather than watching TV), and educational and new activities. “Stimulate the brain in a variety of ways,” he says. “Go to the theatre or art gallery, join a club, take up yoga, learn a new language.”

SURPRISE YOURSELF

The important thing about stimulating your brain intellectually is not to fall into a rut. Keep it fun and surprise yourself. When we repeat certain routines day after day, the brain activity required to achieve those activities decreases.

To stimulate the brain further, approach tasks in different ways, writes Dr. Lawrence Katz, author of Keep Your Brain Alive (Workman Publishing, 1999). A neurobiologist at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C., Katz is a believer in “neurobics” — brain exercises.

For instance, if you always take the same route to work, you are probably so settled into that pattern that you don’t even have to think about it. But if you change your route, “your brain is forced to use its attention resources to do that very simple task,” Katz says.

Another example would be finding your keys with your eyes closed, just using your sense of touch. Using your five senses in unexpected ways is part of the secret to neurobics. “This focuses your brain’s attention on what you’re doing at the time you’re doing it,” he says.

Kiraly agrees that activities that use the opposite side of your brain to the one you usually use are good. If you are a math whiz, you might try joining a book club. Or, if you are an analytical person, you could shake up your brain by taking an art class. Any activity that is intellectually stimulating is healthy for your brain. Even performing minor activities in different ways, such as brushing your teeth with your non-dominant hand, stimulates the brain.

@page_break@Besides mental and physical activities, there are other factors that are important to brain health, according to the American Association of Retired People. First, eat a healthy diet, rich in vitamin-packed fruits and vegetables and foods that are high in omega-3 fatty acids, such as fish and nuts. A healthy diet will have the added benefit of reducing obesity and fending off the illnesses associated with it. Second, while it is important to stay busy and active, avoid undue stress, as this can lead to illness. Third, develop a positive attitude, as this will boost your mental capabilities. And, last, maintain social connections with friends and family, as this is a predictor of good brain health.

A major public-health study involving more than 116,000 participants found people with strong relationships had less mental decline and lived more active, pain-free lives. Try going back to school, taking in a lecture series, travelling with friends, volunteering, going to the museum, wine tasting, joining a walking club or taking cooking classes.

Take your brain out for exercise and surprises, and it will thank you by being healthier and working well longer. And a healthier brain means a healthier you. “If you increase your brain health,” says Kiraly, “you dramatically increase your health span — the amount of your life free of debilitating disease.”

As the population ages and Alzheimer disease becomes more of a household word, the brain’s importance as an organ worth treating well will, no doubt, increase.

“If you can maintain brain health till near the end of life,” Kiraly says, “you will have maximized your health span, as late-life brain disorders are the most common cause of late-life morbidity.” IE