译者 3yan2yu
Countdown: 10 Ways to Keep Your Mind Sharp
保持你的头脑敏捷的10种方法
Robin Nixon, LiveScience Staff Writer
作者：罗宾·尼克松（Robin Nixon），《生活科学》的特约撰稿人
Date: 18 February 2011 Time: 11:56 AM ET日期：2011年2月18日，时间：美国东部时间上午11:56
Credit: dreamstime.
提供者：梦时
We expect the prowess of our joints and lungs to slowly decline as we age, but the thought of our minds doing the same is intolerable. Here are some top prevention tips worth their weight in wits, plus a few to forget.
Do something!
做些事情!
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Scientists are starting to think that regular aerobic exercise may be the single most important thing you can do for the long-term health of your brain. While the heart and lungs respond loudly to a sprint on the treadmill, the brain is quietly getting fitter with each step, too. For mental fitness, aim for at least 30 minutes of physical activity every other day.
Eat, eat, eat
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提供者：梦时
Too much or too little energy throws a kink in the brain’s delicate machinery. A low glycemic diet — high fiber, with moderate amounts of fat and protein — is broken down more slowly in the body than high glycemic foods, such as sweets and white starches. A steady pace of digestion in the gut gives a more reliable flow of energy to the brain, likely optimizing the organ’s long-term health and performance.
Watch that diet
监视那些饮食
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While overindulging can make the brain sluggish and lead to long-term detriments to your brain, too few calories can also impair brain function. Extreme dieting can cause some diehards to feel stretches of calm — a feeling that may underlie the addiction of anorexia — but many studies have also linked dieting with distraction, confusion and memory impairment.
尽管进食过量会使得大脑呆滞，导致你头脑长期的损伤，可是摄入的卡路里太少，也可以损害大脑的功能。极端的节食减肥可使一些倔强的人感觉到绵延的平静 - 这是一种构成厌食成瘾基础的一种感觉 - 但也有许多研究把节食与注意力分散、思维混乱和记忆障碍联系在一起。
Take care of your body
照顾好你的身体
Credit: Dreamstime.
提供者：梦时
Largely preventable diseases — such as Type II diabetes, obesity and hypertension — all affect your brain, too. System-wide health concerns have been linked to an increased risk of cognitive decline and memory impairments. Keeping your circulatory system in working order, by, say, avoiding cigarettes and saturated fat, lessens the onslaught of age-related damage to the brain.
有许多疾病在很大程度上是可以预防的。这些疾病， 如II型糖尿病，肥胖和高血压等，它们 也都会影响你的大脑。对身体整个系统健康的关注与认知能力衰退和记忆障碍所冒的风险有着一定的联系。保持你循环系统的正常运转，比方说，避开香烟和饱和脂肪，减少与年龄有关的损害大脑的刺激。
Get your beauty rest要有美好的休息
Credit: stock.xchng
提供者：stock.xchng
When we rest and dream, memories are sifted through, some discarded, others consolidated and saved. When we don't sleep, a recent study found, proteins build up on synapses, possibly making it hard to think and learn new things. Furthermore, chronically sleeping poorly (in contrast to not enough) is linked to cognitive decline in old age, although the relationship may not be causal.
当我们在睡眠和做梦的时候，头脑里的记忆会通过筛选，一些被丢弃，而另外一些得到了巩固和保存。最近的一项研究发现，如果我们不睡觉，在神经元突触上蛋白质会有所增加，使它难于去思考问题和学习新事物。此外，长期的睡眠不佳（与“不够”形成对照）与老年认知能力的衰退有关，尽管还可能没有一定的因果关系。
Enjoy your coffee享用咖啡
Credit: Dreamstime.com.
提供者：Dreamstime.com
Growing evidence suggests a caffeine habit may protect the brain. According to large longitudinal studies, two to four perk-me-ups a day may stave off normal cognitive decline and decrease the incidence of Alzheimer's by 30 to 60 percent. It is unclear whether the benefits come from caffeine or the antioxidants found in coffee and tea, but that latte may improve cognition this afternoon and several decades from now
Eat fish
吃鱼
Credit: NOAA Fisheries Service
提供者： 美国国家海洋和大气局的渔业服务部门
Some theories credit the introduction of fish into the human diet with the evolution of our tremendous cognitive prowess. Essential fatty acids, such as Omega 3s, are critical to brain function and are proving beneficial for treating such as depression. Studies on the efficacy of Omega 3 supplements, however, have had mixed results, so get doses from food sources, such as flax seeds, fatty fish and grass-fed animals.
Chill out，
放松
Credit: Dreamstime
提供者：梦时
Stress takes a toll on the brain by washing harmful chemicals over the hippocampus and other brain areas involved in memory. Some scientists suspect that living a balanced lifestyle and pursuing relaxing activities such as yoga, socializing and crafting may delay memory impairment by reducing stress.
Skip the supplements
不要去服用补充品
Credit: Steve Knight (stevekrh19)
提供者：:史蒂夫·奈特（Steve Knight） (stevekrh19)
Supplements have been getting a bad rap recently, with even the familiar multivitamin now looking like a waste of money — or worse. Brain pills, such as ginkgo and melatonin, likely belong in the trash as well. Despite their "natural" origins, they are not free of potential side effects, such as high blood pressure, digestion trouble, fertility problems and depression. And among healthy individuals, ginkgo offers no brain benefits beyond that of a placebo. (In some cases, the placebo worked better.)
Tease your brain
Credit: Jane M Sawyer / MorgueFile
提供者：简.M·索耶/资料档案
Whether crossword puzzles, sudokus and other brain teasers actually keep your brain in shape, has not been well-established. However, lack of education is a strong predictor of cognitive decline. The more you've tried to learn, the better you'll be at mental sit-ups in old age. The key may be tackling something new; the challenge of the unknown is likely more beneficial than putting together the same jigsaw puzzle over and over again.
