Professor Jonathan Schott reveals how just 20 minutes can support brain health and lower your risk of dementia, and more
Neurologist says you can cut cholesterol, blood pressure and dementia risk in 20 minutes (stock image)(Image: Getty)
A professor of neurology says there are measures we can adopt to promote brain health, reduce the risk of dementia, and lower cholesterol and blood pressure. Jonathan Schott, professor of neurology at UCL and chief medical officer at Alzheimer’s Research UK, has identified six straightforward ways to give your brain a boost this summer.
About 50% to 60% of adults in the UK have high cholesterol. High cholesterol is often called a “silent killer” as it rarely presents any symptoms. It is a big risk for heart disease and strokes, leading to around 66,000 deaths each year in the UK.
In the UK, it’s also estimated that over 14 million adults have high blood pressure, also known as hypertension. This means that more than one in four adults is affected. A large number of these people, around five million, don’t even know they have it and are at risk. They usually find out about their condition only after experiencing a heart attack or stroke.
The expert recommends going on regular walks(Image: Anna Mardo via Getty Images)
1. Learn a new skill (that you enjoy)
“Keep your brain active by doing the things that you enjoy doing,” advises Schott. “I’ve previously said, ‘If you hate Sudoku, don’t do Sudoku’ as you’re not going to stick with it.”
It’s more about discovering whatever keeps you engaged and stimulated, he stresses, reports Surrey Live. “For some people, that’s reading a book, for others it will be playing chess or learning a new skill like crochet,” says Schott.
Picking up a new skill, or improving at an existing one, helps maintain your brain’s flexibility, explains the neurology professor. “What we think is, when you learn new skills, those areas [in the brain] get connected better together and the connections get stronger – that’s why when you repeat a skill over and over and over again then that movement becomes more automatic,” says Schott. “And we think that it probably makes the brain a bit more resilient.”
2. Do something active every day
“I think exercising is the single best thing that we can do,” says Schott. “We talk at Alzheimer’s Research UK about what’s good for your heart is good for your brain, and that’s because lots of the risk factors for your heart are also risk factors for brain diseases as well.
“Exercise can lower your blood pressure, can lower your cholesterol, can take your weight down and gives you a sense of wellbeing. Ideally, you want to be doing a little bit of exercise every day and want to be doing something that gets your heart rate substantially elevated for at least 20 minutes three or four times a week.”
There is also mounting evidence suggesting exercise can help cushion some of the impacts of dementia’s causes within the brain. “The mechanisms aren’t entirely clear, but it’s likely that the chemicals that get released from the muscles get into the brain and may actually alter this,” he adds.
3. Go on regular walks
“What’s really interesting is that it does not need to be hugely vigorous exercise,” says Schott. “We’re not talking about running marathons, we’re talking about walking every day or walking up the stairs rather than taking a lift.
“Some of the research that we’ve done suggests that it’s actually a relatively small but sustained amount of activity throughout your life, that may be the most beneficial.” Walking with others also provides valuable social benefits, he says.
4. Stay connected
Multiple studies suggest that social isolation can increase the risk of dementia, making it vital to maintain connections with others as a powerful means of supporting your brain health. “Do things that you really enjoy doing yourself, but also with other people,” recommends Schott.
“Staying connected helps you keep in touch with people, you get feedback on people and you can also compare how your brain performance is to other people’s. When I have someone who says to me, I’m a bit worried about my memory, my immediate thought is to say what’s your memory like compared to those people you hang out with?”
The expert also recommends blood pressure checks (Image: Oscar Wong via Getty Images)
5. Get your blood pressure checked
“Keeping an eye on your blood pressure is really important,” says Schott. “We and others have found that it’s your blood pressure in your 30s and your 40s which actually may have the most impact on your brain health.”
The professor explains that keeping tabs on blood pressure is crucial because dementia typically stems from two primary causes: neurodegenerative diseases and cerebrovascular disease, the latter of which involves damage to the brain’s blood vessels. “By reducing the blood pressure, we think we’re probably putting less strain on the blood vessels in the brain, which makes them more robust and less likely to get clogged or less likely to burst,” he explains.
6. Complete Alzheimer’s UK’s Think Brain Health Check-in
“I would suggest that everybody does our Think Brain Health Check-in,” recommends Schott. “It’s been used by over half a million people in the UK, and you can go in, and you can put in your own personal circumstances, and it’ll ask you questions about things like exercise, smoking, diet and alcohol, and will come up with some easy-to-follow advice.”