If you don't want your brain to age even as you get older, keep this habit.

As I get older, I worry about forgetting things even when I'm doing well.

Habits that help slow down brain aging

I will try to learn and put it into practice.

Eating less food, or eating in moderation, helps slow down brain aging. Dr. Hobas Boxstein from Yale University in the United States discovered in an experiment determining the relationship between fasting and the brain that it also strongly affects the hippocampus, which is essential for learning the hormone 'ghrelin' that regulates appetite. When ghrelin reaches the hippocampus, the number of synapses, the brain's network connections, increases by 30%, and activity becomes more vigorous. Conversely, in cases where overeating reduces the ghrelin gene, the number of synapses decreases, and memory also deteriorates. To strengthen the hippocampus, avoiding excessive overeating and fasting appears to be beneficial. There is also research from the Buck Institute in the United States indicating that moderation in eating activates the 'OXR1' gene, which protects cells from oxidative damage, thereby delaying brain aging.

Maintaining adequate sleep duration is also important to prevent brain aging and preserve brain health. The less sleep you get, the faster the brain's ventricles, which are empty spaces in the brain, expand, leading to decreased cognitive function. Lack of sleep impairs physical and mental functions and prevents the recovery of damaged central nervous system during the day. According to Dr. Stickgold at Harvard University, a minimum of six hours of sleep is necessary to improve memory. Furthermore, the most effective sleep duration for optimizing the brain is 7.5 hours.

Brushing your teeth alternately with your right and left hands, known as bilateral brushing, has a brain stimulation effect. You should brush with the hand you usually use, then repeat the process with the opposite hand. Hands are densely innervated and communicate with the brain through various signals. Therefore, performing precise tasks like brushing teeth alternately with both hands activates motor and sensory nerves.

Dancing is an effective way to prevent brain aging. When you dance, your emotions are stimulated, and actively using your brain to memorize movements and pay attention to small details enhances brain function. It improves memory consolidation, learning ability, and spatial perception, and activates the hippocampus, which is responsible for movement and balance. According to a study by the Tokyo Metropolitan Aging Research Institute in Japan, people who regularly dance have a 73% lower risk of developing difficulties in performing daily activities in the future compared to those who do not dance.

To enhance brain function, it is best to consume a balanced diet rich in carbohydrates, proteins, and fats made from minimally processed ingredients. Eating foods close to their raw form encourages thorough chewing, which activates brain function. Chewing food for a longer time increases cerebral blood flow, promoting better circulation. The more vigorous the chewing exercise, the more parotid hormones, which prevent aging, are secreted from the salivary glands, helping to prevent brain aging and improve vascular elasticity. It is recommended to eat green and yellow vegetables such as spinach and kale along with a piece of fish, boiled eggs, or tofu. Green leafy vegetables are rich in nutrients like beta-carotene, vitamins, and folate, which are beneficial for brain enhancement.

Reporter Kim Seo-hee ksh7@chosun.com