The Dementia-Proof Daily Routine to Protect your Brain: Telegraph Article

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From a 30-minute morning walk to an early dinner, Dr Jay Amin shares the simple habits that could help lower the risk of cognitive decline

In this article, we hear from Dr Jay Amin, an associate professor of psychiatry of older age at the University of Southampton.

“I’m prioritising sleep, I’ve completely changed my diet to focus on fibre and protein, and I’ve started resistance training,” says Dr Jay Amin, an associate professor in psychiatry of older age at the University of Southampton. At 45, this is more than a midlife health kick. “There’s evidence that making these changes can play a significant role in reducing the risk of dementia later in life.” 

A decade ago, if you’d asked Amin, who is also an honorary consultant in old age psychiatry at Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, what you could do to protect against cognitive decline, he wouldn’t have had much advice to give. “Now, there’s really strong evidence that a range of lifestyle factors throughout your life, from childhood to old age, may reduce your risk significantly.”

This fundamental shift in treatment is further shown by the news that middle-aged people in the UK with no memory problems are to be prescribed an Alzheimer’s drug as part of an international trial aimed at preventing dementia before symptoms emerge, as revealed by the Telegraph on Friday.

The most robust evidence for early intervention is the 2024 Lancet Commission, which found that 45 per cent of cases could be prevented or delayed by dodging 14 risk factors, like being inactive, drinking too much alcohol or becoming obese. “That’s a huge number,” he says. “We think if you can lead a lifestyle over many decades that aligns with reducing those risk factors, it’s almost inevitable that your risk of dementia would be reduced.”

Here, Dr Amin shares the ideal daily routine to lower your risk – and tips for implementing it.

Walk outside for half an hour - 7am

A recent study – which followed more than 87,000 adults over eight years – suggests that higher exposure to daytime light may protect against dementia. Spending fewer than 42 minutes in bright, outdoor daylight per day was a stronger predictor of dementia than well-known risk factors, including obesity and high alcohol consumption.

While there are benefits to sitting by a window, that only offers around 1,000 lux (the measure for light intensity), compared with the 5,000 lux you’re hit with when you step outside. Dr Amin recommends taking a half-hour walk first thing to get your dose of daylight.

“It was quite a small study and it was observational,” Dr Amin notes. “But generally, getting daylight early in the morning can help support your sleep, which is important because poor sleep is strongly linked to dementia risk. Getting that early shot of sunlight regulates your melatonin levels and means that you will sleep better at night.”

Do five minutes of cardio and 15 minutes of weights - 8am

While your 30-minute walk will have clocked up about 3,000 steps, squeezing in a quick workout will offer an extra boost to your brain.

Cardio exercise – whether running, cycling or a HIIT class – is important, Dr Amin says. A Johns Hopkins study found that just five minutes of moderate to vigorous cardio per day, compared with zero minutes, was linked to a 41 per cent lower risk of dementia. Doubling that to 10 minutes per day lowered the risk by 60 per cent.

However, resistance training – weight lifting or body-weight exercises that increase muscle strength – may be even better. “There’s a lot of evidence now that it reduces chronic inflammation and insulin resistance,” he says. Inflammation destroys neurones, while insulin resistance can lead to plaques in the brain that are a hallmark of dementia.

“Unfortunately, a lot of our modern lifestyle [high in ultra-processed food, sugary drinks and fatty foods] is very conducive to increasing inflammation,” Dr Amin notes. When inflammation persists over many years, it raises levels of inflammatory proteins in the blood. In response, “we think that microglia [the brain’s main immune cells] start to release harmful cytokines and that might well start to damage healthy brain tissue,” he explains. “There’s another thread to that, which is you lose muscle mass as you get older and that may mean you become less active and socialise less often,” which may drive up dementia risk, he notes.

Make a brain-friendly breakfast - 10am

After you’ve worked up an appetite, Dr Amin recommends a breakfast based around the MIND diet, which was devised by dementia experts to protect against the disease. It prioritises leafy greens, berries, nuts and whole grains, while red meat, cheese, pastries, sweets and fried foods are limited.

It’s a fibre-rich diet. “Increasing fibre levels might well increase levels of short-chain fatty acids [anti-inflammatory compounds produced by the gut] and, in turn, that might reduce your level of gut inflammation, which will then feed into reduced inflammation in the brain. That’s the theory. Reducing inflammation through what you eat, we think, is an incredibly important area for dementia prevention.”

The MIND diet limits processed carbohydrates, so it’s better to cut back on high-sugar cereal and white toast, he says. “Insulin resistance is another area that scientists are looking at in terms of dementia risk. Bringing carbohydrate levels down to prevent insulin resistance or pre-diabetes or diabetes [is thought to be protective].”

Dr Amin’s go-tos are two boiled eggs with vegetables and mixed nuts or full-fat Greek yogurt with seeds and berries.

Drink a cup of coffee or tea or have some dark chocolate - 11am

“There might be some benefits to having tea and coffee,” Dr Amin says. A Harvard study found that two to three cups of caffeinated coffee or one to two cups of tea per day reduced the risk of dementia by 18 per cent, while also slowing cognitive decline and preserving cognitive function, compared with not having the drinks.

Coffee and tea contain bioactive ingredients like polyphenols and caffeine, which are thought to reduce inflammation and cellular damage while protecting against cognitive decline. “I’d throw dark chocolate into that as well, as 70 per cent and higher has similar compounds, the polyphenols,” he says.

Learn a new skill with others - 2pm

Picking up a new skill may offer additional protection against dementia. Research from the American Academy of Neurology has found that people who engage in lifelong learning, such as studying languages, have a lower risk of Alzheimer’s and slower cognitive decline, while a Trinity College Dublin study found that mentally stimulating activities, such as playing the piano, could lower dementia risk.

“It’s fine as adjunct advice [in addition to a healthy diet, exercise, socialising and sleeping well],” Dr Amin says. “These activities are nice to do but it’s helpful if they interact with other things.” Try signing up to a class with other people, as that will count as socialising. “It’s helpful to get out and meet other people. Sitting at home and learning a new language by yourself – I don’t buy into that.”

Meet a friend (but avoid alcohol) - 5pm

People who are the most socially active have a 38 per cent lower risk of dementia than those who socialise the least, and The Lancet study also identified social isolation as a dementia risk factor.

“I do try and make time for friends and family every day,” Dr Amin says. “We’re not sure why it’s so protective. It could be that social interaction maintains your neuronal connections by testing them in new ways. But there’s a psychological component: people who feel isolated are at an increased risk of depression, and that is also a strong risk factor for dementia.”

When you next meet up with loved ones, go for a walk, he recommends. Alternatively, arrange an activity that will engage your brain. “When I see friends, we might go to a museum. It checks out that it is good for our brain. You’re putting yourself in different scenarios, you’re learning about other cultures.”

However, avoid the temptation to grab a pint afterwards, he says. “I do think any level of alcohol might not be necessarily good for your brain,” he says. “I stopped drinking myself a couple of decades ago.”

Eat an early dinner - 6pm

One small trial found that restricting your eating hours to nine hours per day may ward off cognitive decline, and that there are additional benefits to stopping eating four hours before bed.

“Eating late at night can interrupt your sleep cycle, and we think that sleep is an incredibly important factor when it comes to dementia risk.” An early dinner also reduces insulin resistance, which can protect against dementia.

“I try to finish eating by around 6pm and then I normally have breakfast around 10am,” Dr Amin says. “That might not be achievable for most people, so even 8pm to 8am is probably enough.”

Salmon or chicken with vegetables, or a Greek salad with bulgur wheat, are dinner options that align with the MIND diet.

Turn in - 10pm

Frequent poor sleep is thought to nudge the brain towards dementia. “Sleep influences cortisol and stress levels,” Dr Amin explains. Increases in cortisol and stress are thought to drive up chronic inflammation and memory problems, he says. Another potential mechanism is that, during sleep, the brain’s clearance of amyloid and tau – protein clumps linked to dementia – speeds up.

“I’ve stopped looking at my phone and working after 8pm,” Dr Amin says. “Eating an early dinner also helps, as it signals to the brain that you’re finished for the day, and I keep the lights down at home in the hour before bedtime. It’s also sensible to avoid caffeine from about midday and avoid strenuous exercise in the evening.”