6 Healthy Lifestyle Habits That May Help Slow Memory Decline

Some people notice changes in memory as they get older, which one study suggests you can influence by making lifestyle changes in diet, exercise, smoking, alcohol consumption, cognitive activity and social contact
Each factor was categorized, and statistical analysis of the raw data demonstrated that each of the individual behaviors was associated with a slower decline in memory
The researchers also looked at individuals with the APOE4 genotype, linked to memory decline and Alzheimer’s disease, finding that those who made positive changes in at least two to three of the lifestyle factors had a slower memory decline than those who did not
Linoleic acid is a dietary factor that negatively influences overall health and brain health. This ubiquitous fat is the most destructive ingredient in your diet; a 2017 study found it was linked to worsening memory and learning ability in animals with Alzheimer’s-type disease
Several more steps you might consider making to protect brain health and slow memory decline include eating more mushrooms, gaining better balance, good oral health, walking backward and steering clear of statin medications to name just a few

(Mercola)—Research¹ published in The BMJ has found links between a healthy lifestyle and memory decline in older adults using a 10-year, population based prospective cohort study. As people get older, some notice that they have changes in memory, like forgetting where they put their keys or having trouble remembering someone’s name.

For the most part, these changes don’t significantly impact a person’s daily life. Many people believe these are normal changes that occur with aging, and yet they don’t occur in everyone. It is normal for people of all ages to forget things occasionally, but progression to mild cognitive impairment, which is an early stage of loss of memory and other cognitive abilities, is not a normal part of aging.²

The prevalence of memory decline may be increasing. In a 1993 Spanish study³ of people aged 40 years and over, researchers found the prevalence of memory impairment was 3.6%, and in individuals 65 years and older it was 7.1%. According to the CDC, a more current measurement found that 1 in 10 U.S. adults aged 45 years and older reported having memory loss.⁴

While they are similar in nature, memory decline and dementia are two distinct conditions that affect how the brain functions. However, worsening memory loss is sometimes an early sign of Alzheimer’s disease,⁵ which affects an estimated 6 million Americans, 73% of which are 75 years and older. But there is hope, since data from the featured study indicates that making simple lifestyle choices can have a significant impact on your long-term brain health.

These Six Simple Steps Are Linked to Slower Memory Loss

A group of researchers from China were seeking to identify the types of lifestyle choices that might protect against memory loss as an individual ages.⁶ The researchers gathered participants aged 60 years or older from the northern, southern and western parts of China. In total, 29,072 people participated in the study. The researchers followed up with participants over a 10-year period, from 2009 to 2019.

Anyone who had a life-threatening disease, or hearing or vision loss, which are factors associated with cognitive decline, was excluded from the study. During the second phase, the people who were in Phase 1 who had available APOE genotyping, and who were not diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment or dementia, were included.

The researchers followed up with the participants four times over 10 years to look for links between memory in participants with normal cognitive function and lifestyle choices. Researchers used neuropsychological testing to identify cognitive performance at baseline, and at each follow-up during the 10-year period. Data for anyone who progressed to mild cognitive impairment or dementia was excluded in the main analysis.

The researchers analyzed six modifiable lifestyle factors, which included physical exercise, diet, alcohol, smoking, cognitive activity and social contact. In each category, individuals were ranked according to how much they participated in a particular factor. For example, people were categorized as currently smoking, never smoked or used to smoke.

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After data collection, the researchers evaluated the association of each of these lifestyle factors against memory function. They found three distinct groups. Those who followed four to six of the lifestyle choices were in a favorable group, those who followed two to three were in an average group, and those who followed 0 to 1 were in the unfavorable group.

Statistical analysis of the raw data demonstrated that each of the individual behaviors was associated with a slower memory decline. After adjusting for health and socioeconomic factors, the individuals who had a healthy diet had the strongest protection against memory decline.⁷ This was followed by those who engaged in cognitive activity and then physical exercise.

The researchers began with the statement that “memory continuously declines as people age,” but the rate of that decline may be affected by lifestyle factors. Age-related memory decline is not always associated with Alzheimer’s disease or other types of dementia. Additionally, forgetfulness in old age may “be reversed or become stable rather than progress to a pathological state.”⁸

Results Were Also True for APOE4 Carriers

Factors that have been identified in past research that could affect memory include aging, chronic diseases, lifestyle patterns and the apolipoprotein (APOE) ε4 genotype.⁹ The researchers considered the APOE genotype because of its association with Alzheimer’s disease. APOE4 is a specific allele of the apolipoprotein E gene.

The APOE gene is involved in the production of a protein called apolipoprotein E, which plays a role in cholesterol metabolism and lipid transportation. The APOE gene has several alleles — or slight variations in the genetic sequencing — including APOE2, APOE3 and APOE4.

It is APOE4 that’s associated with an earlier and more rapid decline in memory and an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease.¹⁰ People who inherit one copy of the APOE4 allele have an increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and those who inherit two copies have an even higher risk.

However, the data from this study showed that while APOE4 genotype could increase your risk for developing dementia, those who carried APOE4 and had favorable or average lifestyles showed a slower memory decline as compared to those who had unfavorable lifestyles.¹¹ In other words, while the gene can increase your risk, you have some control over whether that risk is expressed by how you take care of yourself.

Diet, Linoleic Acid and Memory Decline

I have long believed and talked about the difference that you can make in your health by making simple lifestyle choices in each of these same areas: nutrition, physical exercise, mental exercise, smoking, excessive alcohol and socialization. I would also suggest that there are other simple steps you can take to protect your memory and cognition, which I’ll discuss below.

But before moving further, I think we need to address one of the most destructive ingredients in your diet — linoleic acid. I take a more in-depth look at how linoleic acid destroys your health in “Linoleic Acid — The Most Destructive Ingredient in Your Diet.” But, if you don’t have time, let’s summarize the key points.

Fats are the primary building block of your cell membranes, which is why it’s important to eat the right type of fat for your health and longevity. Vegetable and seed oils are loaded with polyunsaturated fats (PUFAs), which are chemically unstable, making them highly susceptible to damage by oxygen species that are generated during energy production in the cells.

This damage causes them to form advanced lipoxidation end (ALE) products and free radicals that damage cell membranes, proteins, mitochondria and your DNA. Even worse, PUFAs are integrated into your cell membranes, where they can remain for five to seven years.

In the article linked above I explain why seed oils are far worse than sugar and how consuming LA can have a significant impact on your overall health, including increasing your risk of memory impairment and Alzheimer’s disease.

A 2017 study¹² published in Scientific Reports from Temple University concluded that replacing olive oil with canola oil (a seed oil) was not justified. However, in the press release,¹³ the researchers admitted that canola oil was linked to worsening memory and learning ability in animals with Alzheimer’s disease.

Other Strategies That Can Protect Your Memory and Cognitive Health

As the featured study demonstrated, protecting your cognitive health and memory is as much a function of what you should do as it is what you shouldn’t do. Let’s look at some other steps you can take to help protect your memory and cognitive health.

Mushrooms — As I discuss in “How Mushrooms Help Protect Your Brain,” these fungi contain ergothioneine and glutathione, also known as the “master antioxidant.” Both help protect against age-related diseases like heart disease, cancer and dementia. In countries with the highest levels of ergothioneine in the diet, individuals have the lowest risk of neurodegenerative diseases.

Data show that eating more than two portions of mushrooms in a week can reduce the risk of mild cognitive impairment by a significant percentage. Be sure to choose organic mushrooms or grow your own because fungi easily absorb air and soil contaminants.

10-second balance test — This quick 10-second test is independently linked to all-cause mortality. Data also shows that if you cannot stand on one leg for 20 seconds you may have an increased risk of reduced cognitive function.

If you don’t have an underlying health condition that causes vertigo or loss of balance, you can improve your balance and stability, reducing your risk of falling and taking a step toward taking care of your brain health. I share six ways to improve your balance and stability in “Can You Pass the 10-Second Balance Test?”

Address periodontal disease — Data show that periodontal disease may contribute to the development of Alzheimer’s. The risk of mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease in those with periodontal disease is significantly higher than in those without periodontal disease. This underscores the importance of maintaining good oral health throughout your life.

Walking backward — A small study by researchers from London University has suggested that walking backward could boost your memory. Each time participants in the study walked backward consistently, they got more test answers correct, which suggested to researchers that there’s a link between time and space that is fundamental to the way our brain forms memory.

Walking backward is believed to have originated in ancient China. Today, it’s also used to build muscle, improve sports performance and promote balance.

Flavonol and choline — Nutrient deficiencies can impact memory function. A large-scale study of flavanol and epicatechin supplementation demonstrated that people with a baseline flavanol deficiency experienced improvements in memory. Choline is another essential nutrient that plays a role in memory, energy and metabolism.

Choline is necessary to make acetylcholine, which is a neurotransmitter involved in memory performance. Researchers have established a relationship between high dietary choline and better cognitive performance and low choline intake has been associated with an increase in anxiety.

Magnesium threonate — Researchers have found that some people’s brains shrink with age more than others, but now it’s believed that increasing synapses and their density could help prevent cognitive decline.

Scientists developed magnesium L-threonate in 2010, which is a patented compound with the ability to enhance working memory, short and long-term memory and learning. In 2016 they found that not only did it enhance performance, but it could reverse brain aging by more than nine years.

Avoid statins — Statins are promoted by Big Pharma to help protect against cardiovascular disease, yet they do not. People with early mild cognitive impairment and low to moderate cholesterol levels may more than double their risk of dementia when they use statin medications. The medication also contributes to a decline in metabolism in the brain’s posterior cingulate cortex, which is the region that declines significantly in early Alzheimer’s disease.

Shed excess body fat — Mounting evidence suggests that maintaining a healthy level of body fat and an increased level of muscle mass can affect your brain health and slow the rate of cognitive aging.

People with higher amounts of abdominal fat had lower levels of fluid intelligence with age while those with greater muscle mass were more protected against this decline. To fully understand your metabolism, and therefore the changes you can make to achieve a healthy weight see, “Crucial Facts About Your Metabolism.”

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Two Storms, One Harvest

Every food crisis in living memory has been a one-shock event. The 2008 price spike was a commodity bubble. The 2020 shortages were a logistics failure. The 2022 grain scare was a war on one exporter’s ports. Each time, the system bent, adjusted, and recovered, and each time the experts assured us afterward that global markets are simply too big and too diversified to fail.

What nobody in Washington seems eager to discuss is that 2026 is shaping up to be something the modern food system has never actually faced. Two independent shocks, one climatic and one geopolitical, are converging on the same harvest cycle at the same time. Not sequentially. Simultaneously.

Start with the weather. The Pacific Ocean is currently building toward what forecasters now openly call a record event. NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center puts the odds of at least a strong El Niño near 88 percent, with roughly two in three odds it reaches “very strong” status, the tier reserved for perhaps three or four events in the entire satellite era. Every major global model now projects a median peak in Super El Niño territory, and most of them project it exceeding the 2015-16 event, which until now held the modern record. Sea surface anomalies were already brushing the super threshold in mid-July, months before these events normally peak. The atmosphere has already shifted into El Niño mode, and the event is forecast to crest in late fall and early winter.

This is not about “climate change.” It’s about the standard cycles of weather, and the cycle we’re currently in is one that has likely devastated societies in the past. We’re better prepared as a society today, but not all Americans are equally prepared.

Serious households have started doing the quiet math on their own. Grocery bills tell part of the story, and the forecast maps tell the rest, which is why long-term food storage has moved from fringe hobby to mainstream line item in the family budget, with established suppliers like Heaven’s Harvest seeing demand from people who five years ago would have rolled their eyes at the idea. That instinct is not paranoia. It is pattern recognition, and the pattern is worth walking through carefully.

Editor’s Note: Heaven’s Harvest IS a sponsor, but the warnings of this article are real and would be written even if we didn’t have a survival food sponsor. With that said, those who take advantage of what they offer can use promo code “Patriot” for 15% off.

The Fertilizer Clock Is Already Running

While the Pacific warms, the second shock has been unfolding in the Strait of Hormuz. The conflict with Iran turned the world’s most important energy chokepoint into a contested waterway, and the consequences reach far beyond the gas pump. Roughly a third of global fertilizer trade moves through Hormuz, and the disruption sent urea prices up 86 percent year over year by March, with a 53 percent jump in a single month.

The World Bank projects energy prices rising about 24 percent in 2026 and fertilizer about 31 percent. By its own accounting, fertilizer prices ran 35 percent higher in the first five months of this year than the same period last year.

Here is the mechanism the nightly news will not explain. Fertilizer is not a grocery item. It is a time-delayed input. The nitrogen a farmer in Iowa or Punjab could not afford to apply this spring does not show up as a problem this spring. It shows up as a thinner harvest six to twelve months later.

The World Bank’s own food security brief concedes that the effects of reduced applications earlier this season “are likely to become visible only later in harvest outcomes.” Translate that from institutional language into plain English and it means this. The damage is already done, it is already in the ground, and we are simply waiting for it to arrive on the shelf.

Now check the calendar. Six to twelve months from the spring planting season lands us squarely in late 2026 and early 2027. Which is precisely when the strongest El Niño in the instrumental record is forecast to peak, bringing its signature droughts to Southeast Asia, Australia, southern Africa, northern Brazil, and South Asia, the very regions that grow the world’s rice, sugar, and oilseeds.

The World Bank warns openly that a strong El Niño “could disrupt multiple crop belts simultaneously” on top of the conflict-driven input costs. Their baseline projection assumes the Middle East disruptions ease by autumn. What in the last two years of Middle East history suggests that assumption is safe?

The System Has No Slack Left

The comfortable answer is that global markets always adjust. But adjustment requires slack, and the slack is gone. Global cereal production is expected to decline from last year’s records even before El Niño does its work. The UN World Food Programme, hardly a den of right-wing preppers, is calling this the most significant disruption to its supply chains since Covid and the invasion of Ukraine, and its supply chain director put the stakes bluntly.

Today’s supply chain challenges are tomorrow’s hunger crisis.

There is also a political dimension that markets cannot price. When food gets scarce, governments do not behave like economists. They behave like politicians. Export bans, hoarding mandates, and panic buying at the national level turned the modest rice shortfall of 2008 into a global crisis, and analysts are already warning that import-dependent nations are the first dominoes.

The 2015-16 Super El Niño, a far weaker event than what is now forecast, threw tens of millions into food stress across Africa and Asia. This one is projected to be stronger, and it arrives with fertilizer already rationed by price and shipping lanes already contested by missiles.

What Joseph Knew

Scripture does not treat preparation for lean years as faithlessness. It treats it as wisdom delivered in advance to those willing to act on it.

Behold, there come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt: And there shall arise after them seven years of famine; and all the plenty shall be forgotten in the land of Egypt.

Joseph did not respond to that warning with a hashtag or a committee. He stored grain during the years of abundance, and when the famine came, Egypt stood while its neighbors begged. The lesson is not that famine is certain. It is that the time to prepare is precisely when preparation still looks optional.

Nobody who filled a pantry in a year of plenty has ever regretted it, and nobody standing in an empty aisle has ever been glad he waited for certainty.

None of this calls for panic, and panic is the enemy of sound judgment anyway. It calls for the same unglamorous prudence our grandparents considered ordinary. Keep some cash margin, know your local growers, and put real food in deep storage while it is cheap and available, because the entire arc of this story is that cheap and available is a closing window.

Families looking for a straightforward place to start can visit Heaven’s Harvest and use promo code Patriot for 15 percent off long-term storable food. The forecasts may yet soften, the strait may yet reopen, and we should pray they do. But hope is a fine thing to hold and a foolish thing to eat.