Eat smart

So, what foods can you add to your diet to help your brain health? Teresa Fung, adjunct professor in the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, says her top picks are elements of the Mediterranean and DASH diets (see "Studying the connection between diet and brain health"). Elements of both of these diets are shown by research to help reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. It’s thought that these dietary patterns help the brain by keeping blood flowing efficiently and reducing damaging inflammation.