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Several possible studies

Story checked

6 Habits to Keep Your Brain Sharp Through the Decades (opens in a new tab)

menshealth.com · 2026-10-09

Short answerEvidenceSource

Short answer

Several possible studies

No clear answer.

More than one paper fits the article's details, and none fits well enough to single out. Checking claims against the wrong study would be worse than not checking them at all.

Checked against the study summary. The full text wasn't available, so some details couldn't be settled either way.

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NewsLink checks it

Several studies could be the source of this story.

More than one paper fits the article's details, and none fits well enough to single out. Checking claims against the wrong study would be worse than not checking them at all.

Open claim evidence
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Search result

Several studies could fit.

More than one paper fits the article's details, and none fits well enough to single out. Checking claims against the wrong study would be worse than not checking them at all.

Source paper

Source layer

The 3 papers the story cites

Source study separated from background citations.

The research anchor for the report.

Related research

Research nearby

The papers it could be

Nearby papers when the source is unclear.

and 15 more considered

Then inspect each claim

Evidence layer

Claim by claim

What the story asserts. With no source study, there is nothing to check these against.

Claim 1 of 7Not checkedThe article says research has found that people who started healthy behaviors like being physically active and following a healthy diet in early adulthood had better cognitive performance and healthier brain structures later in life, likely because these actions help build mental reserves and increase brain resilience.View evidenceHide evidence

Not checked

NewsLink could not identify one source study, so this claim was not compared against a paper.

Claim 2 of 7Not checkedRegular physical activity across adulthood has been linked with a larger hippocampus, and a 2026 review of multiple studies found that resistance training can benefit overall cognition, executive function, working memory, and processing speed in healthy adults.View evidenceHide evidence

Not checked

NewsLink could not identify one source study, so this claim was not compared against a paper.

Claim 3 of 7Not checkedCloser adherence to the MIND diet has been associated with slower cognitive decline, and a separate review of 21 studies found that following a Mediterranean diet was associated with 11 percent lower odds of dementia overall and 27 percent lower odds of Alzheimer’s disease specifically.View evidenceHide evidence

As stated11 percent lower odds of dementia overall; 27 percent lower odds of Alzheimer’s disease

Not checked

NewsLink could not identify one source study, so this claim was not compared against a paper.

Claim 4 of 7Not checkedA 25-year study of nearly 8,000 adults found that persistent short sleep, defined as six hours or less a night, was associated with a 30 percent higher risk of dementia than consistently sleeping seven hours.View evidenceHide evidence

As stated30 percent higher risk of dementia

Not checked

NewsLink could not identify one source study, so this claim was not compared against a paper.

Claim 5 of 7Not checkedThe article says smoking is strongly linked to brain atrophy and increased risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, while evidence on moderate alcohol use is mixed but excessive alcohol consumption can damage nerve cells, contribute to cognitive decline, and increase stroke risk.View evidenceHide evidence

Not checked

NewsLink could not identify one source study, so this claim was not compared against a paper.

Claim 6 of 7Not checkedChronic stress is presented as harmful to focus, mental energy, sleep, metabolism, blood pressure, diet, alcohol use, and social engagement, and a review study is cited suggesting mindfulness practices may improve attention and working memory.View evidenceHide evidence

Not checked

NewsLink could not identify one source study, so this claim was not compared against a paper.

Claim 7 of 7Not checkedThe article says the brain does not truly multitask but rapidly switches between activities, and that this constant switching taxes the brain, increases distractibility and errors, drains mental energy, and undermines focus.View evidenceHide evidence

Not checked

NewsLink could not identify one source study, so this claim was not compared against a paper.

Finally, the search trail

Method layer

No single source study was found.

NewsLink still surfaces nearby research so you can inspect the field instead of a single paper.

Nearby research

No exact source, but these papers are close.

Crossref, PubMed, Europe PMC · 18 candidate papers

And 13 more candidates considered.