Optimising Brain Health Across Life For Quality and Longevity

Image: WHO (World Health Organisation)

How Important the Brain Really is:

WHO’s (the World Health Organisation) 2022 paper on optimising brain health throughout the life course informs the research for this piece, providing pivotal research on the importance of the brain. The brain is a key component to controlling every aspect of life, with the brain and central nervous system being widely recognised as the command centre of the human body. This is through the control of both the unconscious and conscious bodily functions. Optimising brain health early on, as well as through the life course, is influenced by determinants such as: Genetic and epigenetic factors, infections, diseases, sensory impairments, and health behaviours (quality sleep, physical activity). The brain is also in charge of the physical health of the human body, playing a role in regulating cardiovascular, endocrinological and immunological health, as such the brain controls our heart rate, breathing rate and blood pressure.

How Important Your Location Could Be:

An important factor towards optimising brain health, as studied in recent years, is environmental factors. Such factors are pollutants in the air, water, and food, such as neurotoxic chemicals: Heavy metals, inorganic compounds, pesticides, organic solvents other organic compounds. Exposure to traffic, and the related air pollution, for example, has been linked to a reduction in cognitive functions. Improving ambient air quality has shown to improve brain health by slowing the rate of cognitive decline (evidenced in a recent study in the USA).

How Keeping Active Will Optimise the Brain:

WHO describes the role one must take to optimise brain health is to be an active participant in self-care. This is through exercise, nutrition, sleep, and stress reduction. Nutrition, later in life especially, is an important determinant on brain health. Nutritional deficiencies are linked with the onset cognitive decline and dementia, while healthy, balanced diets and weight management are known to reduce these risks. Improving the quality of sleep is an important factor towards brain health, with quality sleep having a profound impact on such. Sleeping for below six hours consistently in the 6th and 7th decades of life confers a 30% higher risk of dementia, while abnormal sleep durations have been closely linked with an increased risk of stroke. This could be partially explained by the increase in inflammation seen through sleep disturbance. Physical activity is known to affect brain health through improving neuroplasticity (ability for the brain to form new neural connections) and neuroprotective benefits. A recent study showed the importance of physical activity on the brain, proving its positive effects also on emotional processing and memory.

The Importance of Intellectual Engagement:

While physical activity is important for the function of the brain, intellectual engagement also confers benefits for the brain. Studies show that lifelong learning and cognitive stimulation through reading, playing music and speaking multiple languages is important for the protection against dementia in later life. Employment is an important source of cognitive stimulation, which everyone can partake in, with data showing that people who work in more cognitively stimulating jobs had a lower risk of developing dementia than others. Another way to optimise the brain across the life-course is through the quality of attachments and social connection throughout life. Evidence shows that memory will improve, along with an increase in brain structures through partaking in quality attachments, social connection, and social support, on top of the other factors mentioned.