2019-09-01 Reader\'s Digest

check for physical conditions or medi-
cation side effects that might be affect-
ing their brain health. Left untreated,
high cholesterol, hypertension, and
other age-related illnesses can worsen
memory, increase the risk of demen-
tia, and shorten life expectancy. I
also review their daily habits to see
whether there are any areas they can
improve to boost their brain health.
I enrolled Sharon in a two-week re-
search project at the UCLA Longevity
Center to determine the effects of a
healthy lifestyle program on the brain.
Before she began the program, her
baseline memory scores were about
average for her age, but MRI scanning
during memory tasks showed exten-
sive neural activity. That meant her
brain had to work hard to remember
things; it wasn’t very efficient.
Sharon then started the program,
which included daily exercise, mem-
ory training, healthy eating, and relax-
ation activities. After two weeks, her
memory tests demonstrated significant
improvements, and a follow-up MRI
showed minimal neural activity dur-
ing word recall—her brain had become
more effective. Sharon was amazed
that after just two weeks she found it
easier to learn and retrieve new in-
formation. The healthy routines also
helped Sharon shed a few unwanted
pounds, and she felt more confident.
Sharon’s results didn’t surprise us. In
a poll of more than 18,000 people ages
18 to 99, our UCLA research team found
that the greater the number of healthy

RATE YOUR

MEMORY BASELINE

Below is a list of eight unrelated words.

Set a timer for one minute to study

the words. Spend ten minutes doing

something else, and then write down

as many of the words as you can re-

member in order to get your baseline

memory score.

horse

clown

tree

doctor

pipe

guitar

orange

chair

Now look at the eight words again, and

this time spend a minute creating a story

that links them all together. Perhaps

you visualize a clown with orange hair

lifestyle habits people practiced (e.g.,

physical exercise, healthy eating, not

smoking), the better their memory

scores. Respondents who engaged in

just one healthy behavior were 21 per-

cent less likely to report memory prob-

lems, while those engaged in three

healthy behaviors were 75 percent less

likely to notice forgetfulness.

In other words, you already have

the power to improve your mem-

ory. Here is a sample of some of the

memory-training techniques used by

Sharon and other participants in the

education programs I run at the UCLA

Longevity Center, which I describe in

my book 2 Weeks to a Younger Brain.

110 september 2019

Reader’s Digest