Professor's 6 tips for supporting brain health and cutting risk of dementia

Irish Daily Mirror

29-06-2025

A top neurology professor has shared advice on bolstering brain health and slashing the risk of dementia, alongside tackling cholesterol and blood pressure issues.
UCL's Professor Jonathan Schott, who also serves as chief medical officer at Alzheimer's Research UK, has offered six straightforward tips to supercharge your mind this sunny season.
1. Learn a new skill (that you enjoy).
Prof. Schott encourages keeping your noodle nimble with enjoyable activities. "Keep your brain active by doing the things that you enjoy doing," he says.
His mantra?, reports Surrey Live: "I've previously said, 'If you hate Sudoku, don't do Sudoku' as you're not going to stick with it."
He underscores the importance of engaging in pastimes or hobbies that captivate your interest.
"For some people, that's reading a book, for others it will be playing chess or learning a new skill like crochet," Prof. Schott points out.
Embracing fresh skills or furthering existing ones can significantly boost mental agility, he explains.
"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," Prof. Schott elucidates. "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."
Growing evidence suggests exercise might help shield the brain from some effects linked with causes of dementia.
"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," notes 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 relatively small but sustained amount of activity throughout your life, that may be the most beneficial."
Walking with friends can bring significant social advantages, and Alzheimer's Research UK is gearing up to launch a raft of Walk For A Cure events around the UK this summer. These events will cater for all, from easy-going 5km walks fit for families to the more demanding 42km treks.
4. Keep in touch.
And it's not just about the walking; research indicates that social isolation may heighten dementia risk. Connecting with others is crucial in maintaining brain health.
"Do things that you really enjoy doing yourself, but also with other people," encourages 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?".
5. Check your blood pressure.
"Keeping an eye on your blood pressure is really important," reveals 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."
He elaborates that diligent blood pressure monitoring is paramount as dementia often arises from two key sources: neurodegenerative illnesses and cerebrovascular disease, the latter referring to damage sustained by 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."