Can Healthy Habits Help Protect Your Brain — Even If You’re Biologically Older?

A new study published in Neurology® may have some good news: Even if your body shows signs of biological aging, healthy lifestyle choices may still protect your brain.

What’s biological aging?

It refers to how “old” your body looks on the inside — not your birthday age, but how much wear and tear your cells have been through.

Researchers looked at this by measuring telomeres — tiny caps on the ends of your DNA. Shorter telomeres mean more biological aging.People with the shortest telomeres were more likely to develop brain-related conditions like:

• Stroke

• Dementia

• Depression later in life

In fact, those with the shortest telomeres were 11% more likely to develop one of these conditions — even after accounting for age, high blood pressure, and smoking.
But here’s the hopeful part: People with short telomeres who followed strong brain-healthy habits — like staying active, eating well, not smoking, and keeping blood pressure and cholesterol in check — did not have a higher risk.

Brain Care Score

Researchers measured these habits using something called a Brain Care Score — a tool that adds up key lifestyle factors linked to better brain health. The higher your score, the more protective your routine.

The takeaway?

Even if your cells show signs of aging, your habits still matter — and they may help protect your brain over time.

Based on a summary from Newswise about a study published in Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, on June 11, 2025.