Your brain needs exactly 60 minutes to recover from stress

The stressful meeting is over. Your heart rate is settling, your shoulders have dropped, and you are already scanning the next item on your to-do list. Recovery complete, right? The most important phase of stress recovery does not begin the moment you take a deep breath it begins about an hour later. Scientists are calling […]
Menopause may be triggering Alzheimer’s in women far earlier than doctors ever suspected

Menopause has long been understood as a reproductive transition. What it does to the brain has received far less attention. A new expert review published in The Journal of Clinical Investigation is working to change that, making the case that the hormonal upheaval of menopause may represent one of the most significant and underappreciated risk […]
Aging well is a choice and these habits prove it every day

The science of living longer is simpler than most think — and it starts with what happens before any doctor visit The image of aging has changed. Gone is the notion that growing older means slowing down, stepping back, or simply waiting. The couple that laughs the loudest, stays the most connected, and moves through […]
How your gut bacteria may protect your brain as you age

For a long time, the idea that the bacteria living in your digestive tract could have anything to do with memory, focus, or the risk of dementia seemed far-fetched. Now, a growing body of science says otherwise and a major new review is adding significant weight to that conversation. Published in Nutrition Research, the review […]
How common plastic chemical BPA may trigger depression

It is in the water bottle you bring to the gym, the food containers stacked in your kitchen cabinet, and the packaging wrapped around your groceries. Bisphenol A widely known as BPA has been woven into the fabric of daily life for decades. Now, a new study is raising deeply uncomfortable questions about what that […]
Gut microbiome interventions are proving surprisingly effective at preserving memory

Gut health has spent years on the periphery of serious medical conversation, associated more with digestive discomfort than with anything as consequential as memory or mental sharpness. That is changing fast. A growing body of research is drawing an increasingly clear line between the health of the gut microbiome and the trajectory of cognitive decline […]
Dandelion leaves may hold a surprising secret weapon against Alzheimer’s

They grow in sidewalk cracks, front lawns, and vacant lots. Most people yank them out without a second thought, tossing them into yard waste bags like the nuisances they have always been assumed to be. But dandelions, it turns out, may deserve a serious second look, especially when it comes to protecting the aging brain. […]
Is your sleep position secretly hurting your health

Sleep is one of the most essential functions the human body performs, yet most people give little thought to how they are actually positioned while doing it. Whether you tend to sprawl flat on your back, curl tightly on your side, or bury your face into the pillow, the way you sleep may be affecting […]
This healthy habit seems to trigger more brain-boosting power when you are new to it

A growing body of evidence connects regular physical activity to better brain health, but a new study adds a more specific and compelling layer to that relationship. Researchers found that people who were previously inactive experienced significantly larger post-exercise releases of a brain-protective protein after completing a 12-week fitness program, with those increases linked to […]
Brain health researchers approve mentally active sitting

A study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine analyzed health data from more than 20,000 adult brain between the ages of 35 and 64, focusing on how different types of sedentary behavior relate to dementia risk. The research drew a distinction between two categories of sitting: mentally passive activities that require little cognitive […]