When I first started out as a physician, I thought brain aging was just a one-way street. So, as years go by, your focus and your memory, your processing speed, they inevitably just decline. But, that’s not true at all. The emerging signs of neuroplasticity tells us a very different story. Your brain is not a static organ, but it’s actually a dynamic system that is constantly remodeling itself based on the signals you give it.
And the fastest way to strengthen your brain is to change those signals in your favor. So, in this article, I want to walk you through the fastest and evidence-based ways to strengthen your brain. So, this article will be structured where we’ll start with the simplest habits. And these take you very little effort, and these changes will give you steady, reliable improvements.
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And then, we’ll work our way toward the higher impact near the end of the article. And these will take more time and intention, and more effort, but they will lead to much bigger and longer-lasting improvements in how your brain works. If you’re new to this channel, I’m Dr. Leonid Kim. I’m a double board-certified physician, and on this channel, we go over the most up-to-date and evidence-based information on the topics of longevity, metabolic health, and weight loss.
1. Take a Daily Multivitamin
Let’s get into it. So, let’s start with the easiest lever that you can pull, something that you can start today with not much effort or time commitment. And with this one, the data actually surprised me quite a bit. So, there was a pretty big randomized control trial. It was the COSMOS Web Trial that included over 3,500 who were randomly assigned to take either a daily multivitamin or a placebo pill for 3 years.
And the daily multivitamin group consistently performed better on memory tests, especially those tests that involved immediate recall. And the most interesting finding was when the researchers compared the scores to what we normally see with age-related decline, the multivitamin group had the equivalent of about 3 years of preserved memory function.
Was the Study Biased by Funding?
Now, the multivitamin that they used in the study was the Centrum Silver multivitamin. So, one thing we always want to explore is was there any conflict of interest or was there any kind of bias given the funding? So, as far as I can tell, the company that makes Centrum Silver, I think the company’s name is Haleon, which was previously known as Pfizer Consumer Healthcare.
They provided a support for the trial through a grant and they donated multivitamins and placebo pills, but otherwise the company did not design the trial and the company was not involved in analyzing the data or interpreting those results. The study was conducted by independent researchers primarily at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Columbia University.
My Main Takeaway
So, my main takeaway is I’m a lot more bullish now on taking a good quality daily multivitamin for your brain health, which by the way does not necessarily have to be Centrum Silver. And this is a real contrast to how I used to think about multivitamins. Until the study came out, I was pretty neutral at best on taking a daily multivitamin.
I thought for most people they just give you expensive pee. And that’s because the attitude in my earlier medical training was usually multivitamins, well, they sound good in theory, but they don’t actually move the needle since most of what you take in doesn’t actually get used and ends up in your urine.
But this trial changed my mind about some of the potential benefits, especially when it comes to your memory and cognitive aging. It just goes to show that closing small nutrient gaps matters a lot more than a lot of us thought before, especially as we get older.
2. Add More Choline to Your Diet
Now, let’s move on to the next tool that will help you improve your cognitive function and that is adding more choline to your diet. And choline is one of the quickest ways to support your focus and your memory and how well your brain processes information and most people don’t get enough of it. So, choline is an essential nutrient and your brain uses it in two major ways. First, it helps your brain make acetylcholine. So, this is the chemical your brain uses for attention and learning.
When you try to focus, your neurons, or brain cells, they rely on acetylcholine so they can talk to each other. And the more your neurons talk to each other, the better your memory becomes. And then, choline also helps your brain build and repair the outer layer of each brain cell. And this outer membrane layer works a lot like insulation on electrical wire.
When the insulation is strong, signals move fast and clean. But, when that insulation breaks down, signals get slower and that impairs new memory formation.
How to Get Enough Choline
And the nice part is getting enough choline is actually very simple. I think the easiest way to get choline is through eggs. And for most people, one to two eggs per day is all you need.
And if you don’t eat eggs, you can get choline from fish like salmon or tuna or cod. Or you can get it from meats like beef or chicken. Or you can get it from soybeans. Now, some people take a choline supplement, which I actually rarely recommend because most people should be able to get it from real food. And we have data to support this.
What the Research Shows
So, there was a randomized controlled trial in Japanese adults that found that consuming 300 mg of egg yolk choline per day for 12 weeks. So, that’s about two large eggs per day, significantly improved verbal memory scores compared to placebo. And there’s also pretty strong long-term data that shows benefits as well.
So, probably the best example is this large study out of Finland. It was an observational study, so the limitation there is we cannot infer causation, just an association. But, it was able to look at a much larger sample size of people, so about 2,500 men over 22 years. So, much longer period of time than we can get from a randomized controlled trial.
And the results were pretty striking. The men who were in the highest quartile of phosphatidylcholine intake had a 28% lower risk of dementia compared to the lowest quartile. And people that consume more choline also did better on memory and verbal fluency tests. So, these tests measured the frontal lobes and the temporal lobes, which are parts of the brain that help you organize information and speak clearly and remember things and make executive decisions.
3. Eat More Blueberries
Now, the next tool is another simple dietary change you can make that will pay big dividends. Not just with your memory or cognitive function, but your overall health. And that is adding more blueberries to your routine. And if you spend any time in the longevity space, you’ll notice that blueberries come up a lot. There’s a reason for that.
Blueberries are one of the most studied foods for brain health and the results are surprisingly consistent across different ages. Blueberries work because they’re rich in anthocyanins. So, these are the deep blue and purple pigments in the fruit and your brain loves these compounds. Anthocyanins help increase nitric oxide, which relaxes your blood vessels.
And when your blood vessels relax, your brain gets more oxygen and more nutrients. And that alone improves how flexible and how responsive your brain feels in many different situations. And the part that surprises most people is how little blueberries you actually need. So, about a cup of blueberries per day is enough to see most of the benefits.
And it doesn’t have to be fresh blueberries. It can be frozen blueberries or even blueberry powder. So, there was a double-blind randomized controlled trial from a few years ago that randomized older adults to consuming 26 g of freeze-dried wild blueberry powder for 12 weeks. And the people who got the blueberry powder showed clear improvements.
They had better immediate recall and they were more accurate on task switching tests. And these changes happened in only 12 weeks. And that’s not the only study showing brain benefits of blueberries. When you look at the larger body of research, the patterns stay the same. There was a systematic review and meta-analysis of nine randomized controlled trials that looked at over 500 participants.
And what they found was eating blueberries significantly improved memory in people who already had mild cognitive impairment. So, it’s good for prevention and it’s good for treatment if there’s already signs of cognitive deficit.
4. Do Aerobic Exercise
Now, let’s talk about something that takes more effort than taking a multivitamin or eating a couple of blueberries every day, but has a much bigger impact on your brain than anything else on this list. In fact, I would argue this is probably the most potent anti-aging intervention that you can do. And that is the specific type of aerobic exercise.
The Landmark Study
So, there is a landmark study on brain health and memory that was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences back in 2011. So, this was a randomized control trial where older adults were randomly assigned to either regular aerobic exercise or to stretching and toning exercises for 1 year.
So, the aerobic exercise group just walk on the treadmill for about 40 to 45 minutes three times a week targeting a heart rate of about 60 to 75% of their maximum heart rate. And what they found was pretty remarkable. After just 1 year of consistent aerobic exercise, the brain scans of the exercise group showed a 2% increase in the size of their hippocampus.
And hippocampus is the part of the brain that handles memory formation and spatial navigation. And as we age, the hippocampus normally shrinks by about 1 to 2% per year. So, this 2% increase essentially reversed a year or even 2 years of brain aging. And if you zoom in a little closer, what’s even more interesting is the increase in the brain volume was specifically in the anterior hippocampus, the frontal portion of the hippocampus.
So, this is the part of the brain that helps you remember locations and direction. And it helps you remember where you put your keys or how to find your way through a new place.
BDNF and Neuroplasticity
But the benefits didn’t stop at brain volume. This study also showed that aerobic exercise led to higher levels of a special protein called BDNF, which stands for brain-derived neurotrophic factor. So, BDNF works like a repair and growth signal for your brain cells. It helps your neurons form new connections and it helps them fix damage. And it supports neuroplasticity, which is your brain’s ability to adapt and get stronger over time. So, when your BDNF levels go up, you see better learning and stronger memory and a lower risk of age-related cognitive decline.
So, if you combine all these things, better blood flow, less inflammation and increased BDNF is why aerobic exercise shows much greater benefit than almost any nutritional change alone. Because it literally changes the brain structure and chemistry and it gives the brain the stimulus to rebuild and strengthen itself.
Choose an Exercise You Enjoy
And by the way, in this study, they used a treadmill for their aerobic exercise, but any form of moderate aerobic exercise will do where you just need to get your heart rate to at least 60 to 75% of your maximum heart rate. So, for some people, it can be cycling or getting on the elliptical or rowing or jogging, whichever exercise that you actually enjoy so you can do it consistently.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Is brain aging a one-way street?
No. Your brain is not a static organ. It is a dynamic system that is constantly remodeling itself based on the signals you give it, and the fastest way to strengthen your brain is to change those signals in your favor.
Can a daily multivitamin improve memory?
In the COSMOS Web Trial, which included over 3,500 people assigned to a daily multivitamin or a placebo for 3 years, the multivitamin group consistently performed better on memory tests, especially those involving immediate recall. Compared with normal age-related decline, they had the equivalent of about 3 years of preserved memory function.
Was the multivitamin study biased by its funding?
The company that makes Centrum Silver provided a grant and donated the multivitamins and placebo pills, but it did not design the trial or take part in analyzing the data or interpreting the results. The study was conducted by independent researchers primarily at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Columbia University.
Why is choline important for the brain?
Choline helps your brain make acetylcholine, the chemical used for attention and learning. It also helps your brain build and repair the outer layer of each brain cell, which works like insulation on electrical wire so that signals move fast and clean.
How can I get enough choline?
The easiest way is through eggs, and for most people one to two eggs per day is all you need. You can also get choline from fish like salmon, tuna or cod, from meats like beef or chicken, or from soybeans. Choline supplements are rarely recommended because most people should be able to get it from real food.
What does research say about choline and memory?
A randomized controlled trial in Japanese adults found that 300 mg of egg yolk choline per day for 12 weeks, about two large eggs per day, significantly improved verbal memory scores compared to placebo. In a Finnish observational study of about 2,500 men over 22 years, the men with the highest phosphatidylcholine intake had a 28% lower risk of dementia than those with the lowest intake.
How many blueberries do I need for brain health?
About a cup of blueberries per day is enough to see most of the benefits. They can be fresh, frozen or even blueberry powder. In one trial, older adults who consumed 26 g of freeze-dried wild blueberry powder for 12 weeks had better immediate recall and were more accurate on task switching tests.
How does aerobic exercise help the brain?
In a landmark 2011 study, a year of regular aerobic exercise led to a 2% increase in the size of the hippocampus, which essentially reversed a year or even 2 years of brain aging. It also led to higher levels of BDNF, a protein that works like a repair and growth signal for your brain cells.
What type of aerobic exercise should I do?
Any form of moderate aerobic exercise will do, as long as you get your heart rate to at least 60 to 75% of your maximum heart rate. It can be a treadmill, cycling, the elliptical, rowing or jogging. Pick whichever exercise you actually enjoy so you can do it consistently.
Conclusion
Brain aging is not a one-way street. Your brain is a dynamic system, and you can strengthen it by changing the signals you give it. The simplest habits take very little effort: a good quality daily multivitamin, more choline from foods like eggs, fish, meats or soybeans, and about a cup of blueberries per day.
The biggest impact comes from aerobic exercise, which I would argue is probably the most potent anti-aging intervention you can do. It changes brain structure and chemistry, increases the size of the hippocampus and raises BDNF. Choose an exercise you enjoy so you can do it consistently.
I hope this was helpful. Stay healthy.