Brain Health After 60: Ways to Stay Sharp, Support Memory and Future-Proof Your Mind
Just yesterday, a customer emailed me. He had just turned 70, runs his own small business, and has no intention of stopping. He told me, and I am paraphrasing only slightly, that he is going to more funerals than he used to, he has seen what Alzheimer's and dementia do to people, and he is determined to give his brain his very best shot before he gets another day older.
He had already ordered Alpha Brain to get started. Then he asked me the question I've put quite a bit of thought into lately, having recently lost both my father and my mother-in-law to Alzheimer's dementia: 'what would you do to keep your brain humming away nicely til your old age?'
So that email is the reason this guide exists. Not because his situation is unusual, but because it is not. Most of our customers over 60 are not unwell. They are exactly like him: healthy, busy, and thinking carefully about what the next twenty years look like. So here is a straight answer. What the research supports, what is still promising but early, and the unglamorous habits that matter more than any pill. Oh, I am not a doctor and none of this is medical advice. It is what I have pieced together from years of reading, and from watching dementia take three people in my own family.
First, the honest bit
What the evidence supports is a more modest and, frankly, more useful idea: that cognitive decline is not entirely out of your hands. A large body of research suggests that a combination of diet, exercise, sleep, social connection and managing blood pressure, blood sugar and hearing can meaningfully slow age-related cognitive decline in people who are still healthy. Supplements sit on top of that foundation. They are not the foundation.
So if you take one thing from this article: the pills are the last 10%, not the first 90%. With that said, here is everything, in the order I would actually do it.
The habits with the strongest evidence
Boring, free, and better evidenced than anything on our shelves. Start here.
Keep moving
Regular aerobic exercise is one of the most consistently supported interventions for brain ageing. It improves blood flow to the brain, supports the growth of new neurons, and is associated with a reduced risk of cognitive decline in long-term observational studies. This customer already runs a business that keeps him on his feet more than a desk job does, and that counts. Brisk walking, swimming, cycling, anything that raises your heart rate for 30 minutes most days. You do not need a gym membership. You need a pair of shoes and a reason to leave the house.
Protect your sleep
Deep sleep is when the brain clears metabolic waste, including the proteins associated with Alzheimer's. Chronic poor sleep in midlife is one of the more robust risk factors researchers have identified for later cognitive decline. Seven to eight hours, a regular bedtime, and a dark cool room. If you snore heavily or wake unrefreshed, mention it to your GP. Sleep apnoea is common, treatable, and rough on the brain. For supplement related solutions to poor sleep, you may get some inspiration from our last blog, which has Andrew Huberman's approach to sleep in it.
Eat for your brain
This is where a sweet tooth becomes relevant, and he admitted to one. Diets lower in refined sugar and higher in good fats (olive oil, oily fish, nuts, eggs) are consistently associated with better cognitive ageing. The Mediterranean and MIND diets have the best observational track records here.
The more aggressive version of this idea is the ketogenic diet, and it deserves its own section, because he asked and because the research is genuinely interesting.
Stay connected and stay challenged
Loneliness and social isolation are independent risk factors for dementia, as significant as some physical ones. His business gives him a reason to get up in the morning. That is not a small thing. That is protective. Learning new skills, languages, instruments, anything that forces your brain to build new connections, is the mental equivalent of resistance training. Crosswords alone are not enough. It has to be hard.
The ketogenic question: does low-carb help the ageing brain?
The theory is compelling. The ageing brain, and especially the Alzheimer's brain, becomes less efficient at using glucose for fuel. Ketones are an alternative fuel that the brain can burn even when glucose metabolism falters. So the argument goes, if you keep ketones available, you keep the lights on.
The human evidence is early but real. In a trial of 23 older adults with mild cognitive impairment, six weeks on a ketogenic diet significantly improved verbal memory compared with a high-carbohydrate diet. A 2023 systematic review of clinical trials, grading evidence by American Academy of Neurology criteria, found "probably effective" evidence for ketogenic interventions in mild cognitive impairment and in Alzheimer's patients who do not carry the APOE4 gene variant. It found the evidence unproven for APOE4 carriers, which is a good reminder that this is not one size fits all. A six-month RCT in mild cognitive impairment found that a daily ketogenic MCT drink improved cognition alongside a measured 230% increase in brain ketone metabolism.
My honest read: you do not need to go full ketogenic. What nearly everyone over 60 would benefit from is the milder version. Fewer refined carbs and sugars, more healthy fats, and keeping blood sugar steady captures most of the plausible benefit without the compliance nightmare. The full therapeutic keto diets used in trials are hard to stick to, and dropout rates in the studies show it. Keto isn't easy. At least that's my experience from being on it off-and-on over the years. Talk to your GP before any major dietary overhaul too, especially if you are on medication.
What about fasting? Intermittent fasting and the brain
The customer I mentioned earlier had already done some homework before he emailed me, and his list included intermittent fasting alongside the diet changes. He is not wrong to have it there. Of all the levers people pull for brain health, fasting has one of the most interesting mechanistic stories in the research, even if the human evidence is still catching up.
Here is the basic idea. When you go without food for long enough, your body flips from running on glucose to running on ketones, the same alternative fuel we talked about above. Researchers call this metabolic switching, and the work of Mark Mattson and colleagues, published in Nature Reviews Neuroscience, argues that regularly flipping this switch is good for the brain in several ways. Ketones upregulate BDNF, brain-derived neurotrophic factor, a protein that supports the growth and survival of neurons and is closely tied to learning and memory. Fasting also suppresses the mTOR pathway, which kicks off autophagy: the cellular housekeeping process that clears out damaged components, and which becomes less efficient as we age. Lower insulin and reduced inflammation are part of the same package.
Most of that evidence is from animal models, and I will be straight about that. Rodents on fasting regimens show better stress resistance in the brain, reduced neuronal loss after injury, and improved memory tasks. Promising, but mice are not men. The human picture is early but no longer empty:
-
An eight-week study of adults over 65 with self-reported memory decline found that simply extending the nightly fast to 14 hours (which mostly means an earlier dinner and no late-night snacking) significantly improved scores on a phone-based memory and attention test, and improved sleep along with it. Small study, no control group, but a very doable intervention.
-
A 2024 Johns Hopkins pilot study in overweight, insulin-resistant adults at risk of cognitive impairment compared intermittent fasting with a standard healthy-eating plan. Both improved memory and executive function. The fasting group improved roughly 20% more.
-
A broad review of the field is cautiously optimistic about fasting for people already at risk, while noting that in young healthy adults there is no clear cognitive benefit, probably because there is a ceiling effect: there is nothing to improve.
My honest read: fasting is the cheapest intervention on this entire page, and for most healthy people over 60 the gentle version carries little risk and a plausible upside. You do not need anything extreme. Finishing dinner by 6 or 7pm and not eating again until 8 or 9 the next morning gets you a 14-hour overnight fast, which is where the most practical human data sits. The longer 16/8 or 5:2 protocols have less direct cognitive evidence behind them and are harder to stick to.
Two important warnings. Fasting is not appropriate for everyone: if you have type 1 diabetes, a history of eating disorders, are underweight, or take medication that affects blood sugar or blood pressure, speak to your GP before changing when you eat, not just what you eat. And do not let fasting become another source of stress. The stress hormone cortisol is not kind to the hippocampus, the brain's memory centre. If a fasting window makes you miserable, the damage to your sleep and mood will likely outweigh the metabolic benefit. The best intervention is the one you can actually sustain.
The supplements: what is worth your money
Alpha Brain: the all-rounder he started with
Alpha Brain is a decent starting point if you want one product covering memory, focus and mental clarity. Its formula leans on L-theanine, bacopa, alpha-GPC and huperzine A, ingredients with reasonable research support for attention and memory in healthy adults. It is not a dementia treatment and it does not pretend to be. It is day-to-day cognitive support, and for most people that is the right first step.
His instinct to start with one capsule a day and work up is the right way to use anything like this. Add one thing at a time, so you can tell what is doing what.
Lion's Mane: the one to read about next
If Alpha Brain is the starting point, Lion's Mane is the mushroom I pointed him towards, and the one we get asked about most by customers thinking long-term.
The interest centres on nerve growth factor, or NGF, a protein your brain uses to grow, maintain and repair neurons. Compounds in Lion's Mane (hericenones and erinacines) have been shown in laboratory research to stimulate NGF production, which is a plausible mechanism for supporting the ageing brain. Mechanisms are not proof, so here is the human data, plainly.
A recent double-blind, placebo-controlled study found that 3g of Lion's Mane daily for 16 weeks improved cognitive scores compared with placebo. The benefit faded within four weeks of stopping, which suggests continued use matters. A separate 49-week study in patients with mild Alzheimer's disease found improvements in standard cognitive scoring and in daily functioning compared with controls, and a 2025 review of the human evidence covers both trials alongside the lab work on NGF.
Honest caveats, because we always give them: these are small trials. The evidence is promising, not definitive. Nothing here treats Alzheimer's. But as a long-game supplement for brain maintenance in your sixties and beyond, it is one of the more interesting things on the shelf, which is exactly what I told him. Our Lion's Mane Mushroom Extract by Feel Supreme is dual-extracted from the full fruiting body, which is the form the research above used.
Omega-3: the unglamorous base
If there is one supplement with the best claim to being brain food, it is omega-3, specifically the DHA that makes up a large share of the structural fat in your brain. Oily fish twice a week covers most people. If you do not eat fish, a good DHA-rich omega-3 Krill Oil is the sensible base layer. Boring, cheap, well evidenced.
Vitamin D and B12: test, do not guess
In Ireland, low vitamin D is common simply because of the latitude, and low B12 becomes more common with age. Both carry authorised EU claims around normal psychological and nervous-system function. A cheap blood test tells you where you stand. Correct a genuine shortfall and you may feel a real difference!
What we would actually do
Take the free stuff seriously first: daily movement, protected sleep, fewer refined carbs and more good fats, a sensible overnight fasting window if it suits you, blood pressure and blood sugar kept in range, and, the one nobody wants to hear, stay socially connected and keep learning hard new things. His business does half of this for him already.
Then the supplements, in order: omega-3 and vitamin D as the base if your diet and bloodwork suggest them. Alpha Brain for day-to-day memory and focus. And when you are ready to think long-term, read up on Lion's Mane. The NGF research is one of the more genuinely interesting areas in brain ageing right now.
Give everything six to eight weeks before you judge it, and change one thing at a time. He plans to reorder in about 60 days. That is exactly the right cadence.
Everything discussed here sits in our nootropics collection. It ships from Dublin, and if you have questions about your own situation, like his, you can email me directly if you like, but caveat - I am not a doctor and I won't be advising you medically. But email away anyway, I read every one.
— Carl
Frequently asked questions
Can supplements prevent Alzheimer's or dementia?
No, and you should be suspicious of any product or person claiming otherwise. What the evidence supports is that certain supplements may support normal cognitive function and brain health as you age. The strongest levers against cognitive decline are lifestyle: exercise, sleep, diet, fasting, blood pressure, hearing, and staying socially and mentally engaged.
What is the best supplement for memory in Ireland?
For day-to-day memory and focus in healthy adults, Alpha Brain is the most popular starting point. For long-term brain maintenance, the research on Lion's Mane, and its effect on nerve growth factor, is the most interesting current area. Omega-3 and vitamin D are the sensible base for most people over 60.
Is Lion's Mane good for the ageing brain?
The human research is promising but early. A double-blind trial in older adults with mild cognitive impairment showed improved cognitive scores with daily supplementation, and a 49-week study in mild Alzheimer's disease reported improvements in cognition and daily functioning. It is not a treatment for dementia, but it is a reasonable long-term supplement for brain health. See our Lion's Mane extract here
Does a ketogenic diet help with memory?
Small trials suggest ketogenic diets and ketone-producing MCT supplements can improve memory in people with mild cognitive impairment, and a 2023 review graded the evidence "probably effective" for MCI. It is less clear-cut for healthy adults. A moderate version, fewer refined carbs and more healthy fats, is a sensible, sustainable middle ground. Speak to your GP before major dietary changes.
Does intermittent fasting help protect against cognitive decline?
The animal evidence is strong and the human evidence is promising but early. An eight-week study in adults over 65 with memory decline found that a simple 14-hour overnight fast improved memory and attention scores, and a 2024 Johns Hopkins study found intermittent fasting improved memory and executive function about 20% more than standard healthy eating in adults at risk. It is free, low-risk for most healthy people, and the gentle overnight version is the most practical place to start. Check with your GP first if you take medication or have any metabolic condition.
How long before a brain supplement works?
Most trials measure at eight to sixteen weeks. The Lion's Mane research suggests benefits fade within weeks of stopping, so consistency matters more than dose. Change one thing at a time and give it at least two months before judging.
I am in my 60s or 70s and healthy. Is it too late to start?
No. The research on lifestyle and cognitive ageing suggests benefit at any age of starting. He began at 70. His plan, exercise, better diet, sleep, a sensible fasting window, social connection, plus targeted supplements, is about the best shot anyone can give their brain, and it is never too late to take it.
References
-
de Cabo & Mattson, Effects of intermittent fasting on health, aging, and disease, New England Journal of Medicine, 2019
-
Krikorian et al., Dietary ketosis enhances memory in mild cognitive impairment, Neurobiology of Aging, 2012
-
Fortier et al., A ketogenic drink improves cognition in mild cognitive impairment: Results of a 6-month RCT, Alzheimer's & Dementia, 2021
Wow, I haven't done that much referenceing since college lol
This article is for general information only and is not medical advice. I AM NOT A DOCTOR! Food supplements are not a substitute for a varied diet or for prescribed treatment. If you are concerned about memory loss or cognitive changes in yourself or someone you love, speak to your GP. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before starting a supplement, particularly if you are on medication.