When most people think about aging, they imagine a linear progression towards an inevitable end. They think in terms of birthdays, knowing that the more candles on the cake, the more we should anticipate things like joint pain, lines on the face and even foggy thinking. Yet the most recent research shows us that we have the story all wrong around brain health. The brain changes we associate with aging (for example, memory loss) are far more dynamic and modifiable through the choices we make each day than people realize. Here’s how you can help slow brain aging and protect your brain right now.

What is “brain aging”?

While most people count their age in birthdays, our bodies don’t see time in the same way. In fact, research shows us that each organ in our body ages at a different biological rate (this is called “biological age”), and this predicts our risk for having issues with those organs more than our age in birthdays. For example, having a biologically older liver correlates with dramatically higher rates of liver disease. Specific to this conversation, having a biologically older brain (as measured using MRI and other tests) is strongly linked to risk for cognitive impairment, dementia and even conditions like multiple sclerosis. While there are many specifics, brain aging on imaging is usually linked to the rate of brain tissue loss (atrophy).

Can we slow brain aging?

Unlike our age in birthdays, we can absolutely take steps to positively influence our rate of biological aging. Research just published in the last few years demonstrates that certain lifestyle factors are strongly linked to the speed with which our brains age, and a recent diet study even showed that adopting a specific food pattern was linked to a slower rate of brain aging. While we may not be able to stop our brains from aging, this science points to powerful strategies to help combat more rapid aging. Here are four of the most important to prioritize today.

1. Eat the right diet

Every bite of food is information that programs brain structure and function. According to a study just published, lower diet quality between childhood and adulthood is linked to a higher risk for developing dementia. Multiple previous studies have also demonstrated that eating a healthy diet akin to the Mediterranean or MIND diet patterns could reduce dementia risk, and that higher diet quality is linked to larger brain volumes. However, there’s also some interventional data suggesting a protective effect on brain aging.

In an 18 month study on 284 people published in 2022, researchers found that people assigned to either a Mediterranean diet or a Mediterranean diet plus additional sources of plant molecules called *polyphenols *demonstrated slower rates of brain atrophy, with the biggest benefit seen in the group consuming the most polyphenols. Beyond consuming a diet rich in fiber, healthy fats, fruits and vegetables and polyphenols and low in processed foods, research also suggests that avoiding excess alcohol is a powerful way to prevent rapid brain aging.

2. Exercise regularly

It’s been well documented that regular exercise can help boost and protect brain function. As just stated in The Lancet*, *“…regular physical activity, high cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), or a combination of both, can mitigate cognitive impairment and reduce dementia risk.” Beyond this, exercise may even be able to reverse brain aging. In a stunning 2011 study, researchers found that a regular exercise program grew the brain’s memory center (the hippocampus), “effectively reversing age-related loss in volume by 1 to 2 y.” Equally impressive was a just published study showing that 12 months of exercise effectively lowered people’s relative brain age. There’s lots of nuance and specifics to uncover here, but engaging in at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise along with 2-3 days of resistance training a week should be a goal for all who can manage it.

3. Avoid air pollution

One of the most compelling recent areas of brain research concerns the link between environmental exposures and brain health outcomes. Though largely marginalized as a topic of podcasts and popular health conversations, the brain risk posed by air pollution is starting to gain more recognition. For example, a new article published in Stroke* *demonstrated that even lower exposure to tiny PM 2.5 air pollutants was linked to brain atrophy in older adults with good brain function. A recent mouse study found exposure to the same pollutants led to brain atrophy. Importantly, research also suggests that improving air can help counter some of these effects. In a 2024 study in Environment International, researchers found that when air pollution levels dropped, brain function improved, as did an imaging marker of brain health.

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4. Focus on sleep quality

It is impossible to overstate the importance of sleep for brain health. Better sleep is linked to improved focus, cognition, mental health and lower risk for a host of brain diseases. Yet the extent to which this correlates with brain aging has only recently been explored. In a 2025 paper in eBioMedicine, researchers compared sleep quality scores with inflammation and brain aging in nearly 28,000 adults. People reporting lower quality sleep were found to have higher brain ages, and inflammation appeared to help explain the association.

The effect of sleep on brain aging may be far more rapid (and reversible) than other variables. A powerful 2023 paper in *The Journal of Neuroscience *used MRI to gauge brain aging after 24 hours of sleep deprivation, finding an increase in brain age of 1-2 years that was reversed after participants were allowed a night of recovery sleep. While better sleep hygiene practices can dramatically improve sleep quality, it’s important to recognize that treatable sleep disorders like obstructive sleep apnea often go undiagnosed, so consider speaking to your health practitioner about a sleep evaluation if sleep quality is a major challenge.