How Well Is Your Brain Doing? A New Scorecard Can Help You Find Out

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Looking for extra motivation to improve your health? Whether you’re trying to lose weight, sleep better, eat healthier, exercise more, or cut down on alcohol, these efforts don’t just benefit your body—they can also support better brain health.

Researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital’s McCance Center for Brain Health have developed a new tool called the Brain Care Score (BCS). This scorecard helps you assess how your current lifestyle may impact your future brain health, specifically your risk for dementia and strokes.

What Does the Brain Care Score Measure?

The BCS looks at 12 key areas, including:

Physical health:

Blood pressure
Blood sugar
Cholesterol
Body mass index (BMI)

Lifestyle choices:

Nutrition
Alcohol consumption
Smoking habits
Aerobic exercise
Sleep quality

Social and emotional well-being:

Stress management
Social connections
Sense of purpose

Each area is scored from 0 to 2, with a maximum score of 21. Higher scores indicate better brain care.

Why Does the Score Matter?

A healthy brain means lower risks of both dementia and strokes, which affect millions of people each year. Engaging in healthy activities like exercising and maintaining strong social relationships helps keep your brain active and functioning well.

What the Research Says

A study involving nearly 399,000 people aged 40 to 69 found that those with higher BCS ratings had significantly lower risks of dementia and strokes. Specifically, for every five-point increase in the BCS, younger participants (under 50) were 59% less likely to develop dementia and 48% less likely to have a stroke. The benefits were still notable for those aged 50-59, though they diminished slightly for those older than 59.

How Can You Improve Your Brain Care Score?

Improving any aspect of the BCS benefits both your brain and your overall well-being. You don’t have to change everything at once—just focus on one or two areas. If improving your diet seems too hard right now, try getting more exercise or focusing on better sleep.

One of the most important areas to focus on, according to experts, is finding meaning in life. Knowing your purpose can motivate you to make positive changes and live longer, healthier years.

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