Keep Your Brain Young

Guy McKhann, M.D., Marilyn Albert, Ph.D.

They teach neurology--he's at Johns Hopkins, and she's at Harvard. Together, these cerebral types have written a fitness book to keep your gray matter in the pink.

Preserving your smarts, they argue, depends on a positive attitude and physical and mental exertion. Activities like swimming can prod the brain to produce the chemicals it needs to function in old age. Mental aerobics like crossword puzzles may strengthen connections between nerve cells and possibly aid in forming new neurons.

The authors believe that women may live longer than men because they shop, a pastime that requires both physical (walking and carrying bags)...

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