Drink up, but not too much, to fend off dementia

Drinking a glass or two of alcohol a day could protect you from developing dementia as you get older, a new study reports.

Published March 2 in the journal Age and Ageing, German researchers revealed that light and moderate drinkers of any type of alcohol were 29 percent less likely to develop any kind of dementia than heavy drinkers or teetotalers.

Good news for Alzheimer's disease too: light and moderate drinkers also had 42 percent less chance of developing the disease than heavy drinkers and those who abstained completely. Light drinkers in the study drank about one drink a day, or 10 grams of wine, beer, or liquor. Moderate drinkers imbibed two drinks per day.

Research published last October in the journal Neurology also found that walking just 9.5 kilometers (six miles) a week may keep your brain sharper as you get older. Walking may protect aging brains from growing smaller and, in turn, preserve memory in old age.

The renowned Mayo Clinic in the US also recommends staying social to help keep your brain sharp. Isolation can increase stress and depression, both of which can contribute to memory loss.

Read more tips for improving memory as you age:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/memory-loss/HA00001

http://www.alz.org/we_can_help_brain_health_maintain_your_brain.asp