Author: Eef Hogervorst, Professor of Biological Psychology, Loughborough University

Song about summer/Shutterstock.com The risk of dementia rises as the brain ages. One reason is that connections between brain cells weaken over time. Diseases of the brain, such as Alzheimer’s and stroke, can speed this up, eventually leading to dementia, a loss of mental abilities and a loss of independence. Scientists can now estimate a […]

Billion Photos/Shutterstock For millions of people around the world, pollen season means weeks of sneezing, itchy eyes and a blocked or runny nose. The timing varies depending on where you live and which plants are in flower, but grass pollen is one of the most common triggers. Hay fever, also known as seasonal allergic rhinitis, […]

Angel Gruber/Shutterstock Air pollution has long been linked to heart and lung disease. But a large US study suggests it may also raise the risk of Alzheimer’s disease – the most common form of dementia. Researchers tracked nearly 28 million older adults over six years nationwide. They found that those exposed to higher levels of […]

Barillo_Images/Shutterstock.com Scientists have found that drinking two to three cups of coffee a day may significantly reduce your risk of developing dementia, but drinking more won’t help protect your brain any further. A major study tracked 131,821 American nurses and health professionals for up to 43 years, starting when they were in their early 40s. […]

CandyRetriever/Shutterstock We may not need to completely overhaul our lives to live healthier for longer, according to a large UK-based study. This is welcome news, particularly as many people will already have abandoned their New Year’s resolutions. The recent study followed around 590,000 people in the UK, with an average age of 64, over an […]

photolin/Shutterstock A large Swedish study reported a lower risk of dementia among middle-aged and older adults who consumed higher amounts of full-fat cheese and cream. The findings may sound like welcome news but they need careful interpretation. The study followed 27,670 participants for 25 years, during which 3,208 developed dementia. Among people without a known […]

A new study suggests that even low levels of physical activity could protect the brain from Alzheimer’s disease – but not in the way scientists expected. The researchers tracked almost 300 older adults with early brain signs of Alzheimer’s for nine to 11 years using pedometers. They found that physical activity didn’t reduce the toxic […]

More and more research suggests that the copper in your diet could play a bigger role in brain health than we once believed. A recent study found that older Americans who ate more copper-rich foods did better on memory and concentration tests. The findings, published in Nature Scientific Reports, looked at people’s diets using detailed […]