Mental decline is one of the most feared aspects of growing older. People will do just about anything to prevent it, from swallowing supplements touted as memory boosters to spending hours solving Sudoku and crossword puzzles.
But do these things really keep the aging brain sharp? The short answer is, not really.
“It can certainly help you concentrate if you spend an hour or two doing puzzles,” said Dr. Vladimir Hachinski, a Canadian neurologist and global expert in the field of brain health. “It’s good because you’re exercising your brain. But don’t expect too much from it.”
One in 8 Americans age 60 or older report having at least some memory loss and roughly 35% of them report problems…
