'Physical activity is like Miracle-Gro': Simple steps to boost your brain as you age

From taking on a new challenge to connecting with friends, exercising daily and switching to a Mediterranean diet, there are a lot of simple steps you can take to protect your brain as you age, experts tell Helen O'Callaghan  

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Old age is no barrier to creativity. This is the view of Professor Denis O’Mahony, consultant geriatrician at Cork University Hospital (CUH), who has met many people who have “remarkably high cognition” right into their 90s.

“I’ve met people who are publishing books and doing all sorts of creative things in their 90s. And you can think of any number of great artists who’ve produced some of their best work at the end of their life,” he says, citing Leonard Cohen, Johnny Cash and Seamus Heaney. “Many are doing terrific work in older age, not just in the arts but through engagement in society at large.”