Brain boosters

Strengthen your brain and boost your memory and focus at any age with this new plan from neurosurgeon

- SANJAY GUPTA

AS a leading neurosurgeon, there’s little Dr Sanjay Gupta doesn’t know about the brain. And now he has put together a plan that will help keep yours young and healthy at any age.

Whether you are 22 or 92, you can benefit from these simple lifestyle changes designed to optimise brain health and function.

As well as improving memory and focus, this easy-to-follow plan will help you feel less anxious, sleep better, improve energy, think more clearly and become more resilient to daily stress. And all that’s required are some simple changes to your lifestyle.

Here, he explains how to turbocharge your grey matter.

Can you change your brain?

You're never too old to make a positive difference to how well your brain functions.

We used to think we were born with a certain cache of neurons that would slowly deplete over out life.

But our fundamental understanding of the brain has changed.

We now know the brain can reliably revamp itself and be continuously optimised throughout life.

Most exciting of all, is there is now substantial evidence you can grow new brain cells at any age. As well as this, you can reduce your risk of cognitive decline by adopting healthy behaviours across your lifespan.

THE HEALTHY BRAIN DIET

It’s really true you are what you eat. The link between nutrition and brain health has long been anecdotal. But now we finally have evidence to show consuming certain foods while limiting others can help avoid memory and brain decline, protect the brain against disease and maximise its performance.

The good guys include oily fish, plant proteins, wholegrains, extra virgin olive oil, nuts and seeds, fibrous whole fruits and vegetables all of which typify what’s called a Mediterranean-style diet. The bad guys are anything high in sugar, saturated fat and trans-fatty acids.