If you ever have trouble remembering where you put your keys or the plot of the movie you saw over the weekend, or the name of that interesting individual you met at a networking event last week, you are not alone. I like to compare the human brain with a computer. The more information you cram into it, the slower it works, and the more likely some part of it is bound to break down. Of course, my explanation is masking a sheer case of denial, but overall I do see a germ of truth lurking in that logic. Don’t you?

To a limited degree, there are ways to deal with this issue of memory “insufficiency,” and to fortify the brain against problems associated with aging—like Alzheimer’s, dementia, and other unsexy disorders. Where it used to be considered acceptable to joke about loss of memory, it is now becoming established in medical circles that there is nothing humorous about diminishing memory; that it is often, in fact, a precursor to one of these diseases. While Vitamin B12 is no cure for mental deterioration, it can help to forestall what is perceived as “the inevitable.” Meanwhile, medical science is working feverishly to come up with a cure that will soon be able to keep our minds sharp at the same time the rest of us is becoming dull. Of course, medical science is working on the rest of us, too. Never fear. 

According to a study by researchers at Oxford University, there was found to be an association between a lack of Vitamin B12 and a loss of cognitive function. To make matters worse, the older you get the more trouble your body has absorbing B12, which is easily obtained in a diet rich in meat, fish, eggs, and milk—oysters and other mollusks, too, if you like that sort of thing. But if you prefer to take your B12 in pill or capsule form, it is recommended by Myrtle McCulloch, clinical assistant professor of nutrition at Georgetown University Medical Center, that you take your Vitamin B12 supplements sublingually. Nothing wrong with getting an occasional shot by your doctor, either, should your blood tests reveal a vitamin deficiency.

While some studies show that brain function is enhanced by exercising it with mind challenging games, gathering information, and learning new tasks, there is no guarantee. If there were, Alzheimer’s would not have claimed such quick minds as that of Ronald Reagan (“The Great Communicator”) or E.B. White, the writer of children’s classics, or so many other men and women who have contributed so brilliantly to our culture. 

While you are waiting impatiently for that medical breakthrough to come through and save your brain, try this: exercise your body and your mind as often and as energetically as you can. In spite of everything, the old adage may, in fact, be your best advice so far. Use it or lose it!