Additional Coverage:
- An Alzheimer’s researcher shares 1 daily supplement and 1 mantra he recommends to everyone for brain health (businessinsider.com)
Harvard Brain Expert Shares His Secrets to Sharp Thinking
Renowned brain aging researcher Dr. Rudolph Tanzi, director of Genetics and Aging Research at Massachusetts General Hospital and professor of child neurology at Harvard Medical School, emphasizes healthy habits as the cornerstone of brain health.
While he’s involved in developing brain health supplements, including his own brand CogniSHIELD, he stresses that supplements alone aren’t enough. “Even if you’re taking supplements, nothing substitutes for lifestyle,” Tanzi stated in a recent interview.
Tanzi’s “SHIELD” acronym encapsulates his recommendations for maintaining and boosting brain health, potentially mitigating the risk of Alzheimer’s and other cognitive decline:
- Sleep (7-8 hours nightly): Clears harmful protein buildup linked to Alzheimer’s.
- Handle stress: Chronic stress fuels inflammation, potentially impacting cognitive function.
- Interact: Social interaction combats loneliness, a significant risk factor for Alzheimer’s.
- Exercise: Promotes nerve cell growth and helps clear harmful protein buildup.
- Learn: Continuously learning creates new neural connections, contributing to cognitive reserve.
- Diet (Mediterranean style): A plant-focused diet supports a healthy gut microbiome, which emerging research suggests plays a role in brain health.
Among the supplements Tanzi incorporates into his own routine is omega-3, known for its anti-inflammatory properties and potential to slow brain aging. A 2025 study showed that participants taking a daily gram of omega-3 experienced slower brain aging, particularly when combined with exercise and vitamin D.
While omega-3 is found in foods like salmon and chia seeds, supplements can help bridge dietary gaps. As a vegetarian, Tanzi opts for algae-based vegan omega-3.
For those considering fish oil, he advises careful research into brands, emphasizing the importance of purification processes to remove potentially harmful heavy metals like mercury and cadmium. He recommends brands like Centrum and Nordic Naturals due to their distillation processes, though he has no affiliation with them.
Tanzi cautions, “If you’re buying fish oil capsules and they’re not double- or triple-distilled, you may be doing more harm than good.”