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"  Until just a few years ago, we doctors believed that the brain stopped making new neural connections \u2014 meaning that your memory began to get irreversibly worse \u2014 when the body stopped developing, usually in your early 20s. And we knew that, like any other body part, neurons weaken as we age. Loss of brain function due to neural breakdown was assumed to be a normal, unavoidable part of aging. It turns out we were wrong. In the past few years, it has become clear that you can, in fact, make new neurons starting in your 20s and continuing well into old age. You can literally rewire the brain with new parts as the older parts wear out. How? Simple: Keep learning. Just as your body can pack on and condition new muscle, your brain can rebuild used-up neurons. How strong is the evidence for this? Strong enough that a $200 million industry devoted to brain-boosting software \u2014 products like Brain Age, MindFit, and Lumosity that supposedly improve your memory function \u2014 has sprung up out of nowhere. The jury is still out on whether these programs actually sharpen the noggin as much as they claim to. But frankly, you don&amp;#039;t need a fancy video game. All &amp;quot;mental fitness&amp;quot; means is keeping your memory intact \u2014 everything from phone numbers to how to throw a football. So what can you do to stay smart?  Keep blood pressure down. People with high blood pressure are more likely to develop cognitive impairment later in life. Take an aspirin a day. One 162-milligram pill helps prevent damaging ministrokes in the brain&amp;#039;s periphery and appears to reduce the buildup of beta-amyloid, a protein that sandbags the brain&amp;#039;s neurons.  Eat more vitamins. Like E(in nuts and sunflower seeds), B6 and B12 (beef, tuna), and folic acid (leafy greens, citrus, berries), which help keep your brain&amp;#039;s chemistry in balance. Exercise your brain. This is the best way to rebuild and strengthen those precious neurons. Learn to play chess or the guitar. When you&amp;#039;re at a stoplight, try to recall the starting lineup of the &amp;#039;83 Celtics. See a movie that doesn&amp;#039;t feature Ben Stiller. Or read, like, a book. Mehmet Oz is a heart surgeon and the coauthor of You: Staying Young (Free Press, $26). "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.esquire.com/lifestyle/health/advice/a4143/dr-oz-0208/>