AARP Brain Health Survey Reveals Nearly Half of People Are Not Doing the Most Important Activities to Support Brain Health New Survey Results Released with the Launch of the Global Council on Brain Health

WASHINGTON, Oct. 28 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In AARP's latest survey on brain health, it found that although virtually every adult age 40 and over (98%) believes it is important to maintain or improve their brain health, only about half (56%) are doing one of the two most important activities to support their brain health—engaging in exercise and eating a healthy diet. 

According to a 2011 study by the Mayo Clinic and a 2010 study published in the Nature Reviews Neuroscience Journal, engaging in aerobic exercise regularly and eating a healthy diet are the two most important activities to maintain and improve brain health. 

To help empower people to maintain and improve their cognitive health, AARP is launching the Global Council on Brain Health (GCBH)—an independent collaborative of scientists, doctors, scholars and policy experts. This collaborative will provide trusted information on what actions people can take to support their brain health through quarterly white papers, scientific reviews and other research.

"It's clear that people want to know how to keep their brains active and healthy as they age, but they need a trusted source that can help them make sense of all the latest developments in brain health science," saidSarah Lock, AARP Senior Vice President, Policy, Research and International Affairs. 

"The Global Council on Brain Health will help people understand what real-life approaches work best and empower them to live brain-healthy lifestyles."

The GCBH is an independent collaborative convened by AARP working together with Age UK—the United Kingdom's largest charity dedicated to helping everyone make the most of later life—that will address a critical social issue and help people live their best lives. 

The collaborative will build on the Institute of Medicine's Cognitive Aging report from April 2015, which provided a basis for understanding the aging brain and described opportunities for actions. 

Members are eminent experts from leading research institutions working in the fields of neuroscience and geriatrics who will address the full range of factors that can impact brain health and examine key priority issue areas—such as physical exercise, mental engagement, stress levels, and medications and supplements.