Super-agers: how to preserve your memory
Most people assume memory decline is inevitable or that it is solely predetermined by their genes.
It’s not. A study published in February 2026 in Nature examined a group of adults over age 80 known as “SuperAgers.” These individuals were dubbed this because their performance on memory testing were at levels comparable to people 20–30 years younger.
Researchers looked directly at their hippocampus — the brain’s memory center and what they found was striking. SuperAgers had roughly 2x as many NEWLY FORMED neurons versus typical older adults, and about 2.5x more than individuals with Alzheimer’s disease. In other words, their brains were still building and growing networks! They also had less pathological burden compared to Alzheimer’s brains. This tells us the aging brain is not biologically silent and it can remain active, plastic, and adaptive.
So the obvious question becomes: What can we be doing to support that?
1. Exercise — the most powerful stimulus for new brain cells
Surprise, surprise! Physical activity is one of the strongest drivers of hippocampal neurogenesis. Aerobic exercise increases brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) — a protein sometimes called “fertilizer for the brain.” BDNF helps new neurons survive, grow, and integrate into memory circuits.
Studies consistently show that regular exercise can:
• Increase hippocampal volume
• Improve memory performance
• Reduce risk of dementia
Even moderate activity like brisk walking appears to stimulate these pathways. And this is a really important takeaway because it's actually a factual statement that applies for benefits in overall health and cancer risk reduction. It doesn't HAVE to be vigorous activity--our bodies simply want us to be moving. The largest benefits in health are when people go from sedentary to even modest levels of activity. Remember that.
2. Sleep — when your brain repairs and organizes memories
During sleep, the brain performs several essential functions:
• consolidates new memories
• clears metabolic waste through the glymphatic system
• restores synaptic connections
Chronic sleep deprivation disrupts these processes and has been linked to increased amyloid accumulation and cognitive decline. And it does a whole lot more than that as well. Many folks treat sleep as an afterthought which really does a disservice to their health. It's time we start treating sleep as the integral health lifestyle pillar that it really is. While we sleep, our bodies do a number of maintenance functions that keeps us healthy and thriving.
3. Intellectual Challenge — use it (your brain) or lose it
Neural networks strengthen when they are used. Learning new skills, reading, writing, problem solving, or engaging in intellectually demanding work all stimulate hippocampal circuits and promote plasticity. The more you use your brain and stimulate building networks, you build up a cognitive reserve that saves your brain from aging and as a result, you have less functional decline over time.
In a similar vein to intellectual challenges, you want to be socially engaged which is an underestimated brain stimulus in and of itself. We've evolved to be social creatures--admittedly, some more than others. I am guilty as the next of wanting to just protect my peace and stay at home! But there is 100% something to be said about having conversation, emotional connection, and shared experiences with others.
While it may not sound important, these activities activate our brain networks that are involved with memory, language, attention, and emotion. So as you can see, these interactions put your brain to use more than you may think.
Further to prove this point, large epidemiologic studies consistently show that social isolation increases dementia risk, while strong social engagement protects cognitive health.
5. Nutrition that supports the brain
The last thing I want to talk about is nutrition--another lifestyle health pillar. The human brain is exceptionally metabolically demanding and sensitive to inflammation--more than any other organ in our body. We want to therefore have nutrition that supports our cognition and give us our best change of being a SuperAger.
Patterns consistently associated with better cognitive aging include:
• high fiber intake (note: fiber ONLY come from plants!)
• omega-3 fatty acids, which is our healthy fats that we are almost all deficient it
• polyphenol-rich foods (and I'm going to give a shout out to 2 of my favorites here: berries and olive oil)
• and finally, lower intake of ultra-processed foods and excess added sugar. Ditch the UPFs and any foods that have increased total added sugar. The more info we get about total added sugar, the worse the picture becomes.
These healthy nutrition patterns reduce systemic inflammation and support vascular health — both critical for brain function and will support your brain to remain intact and functioning at its best the older we get.
Your Big Takeaway
For decades scientists believed that once we reached adulthood, the brain stopped producing new neurons. That assumption appears to be wrong. The research on SuperAgers suggests that some people maintain the biological machinery for brain renewal far longer than expected.
And the habits that we just went over appear to support this process — movement, sleep, learning, social connection, and healthy nutrition — are things we can start doing today.
