Been losing your car keys a lot lately? Give your brain a workout now. We mean, now. Dementia is a word you don't want used in the same breath as your name. The thing is: staying sharp is easy 
In your 20s…Go back to school 
Not literally. But getting buried in books again-be it a language, business management, an art appreciation course or whatever takes your fancy-will keep your grey cells in good shape for years to come. "Some studies indicate that people who have received higher education are less likely to lose their mental faculties as they age," says Dr Sameer Malhotra, head of psychiatry, Fortis hospital, New Delhi. 
In your 30s…Drop your BMI 
Researchers at Sweden's Sahlgrenska University Hospital discovered that the risk of dementia nearly doubled among men with a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 25 to 27. It tripled in men with BMIs over 30. Researcher Dr Annika Rosengren suggests that blood-vessel damage caused by high blood glucose may be to blame. Calculate your BMI at http://nhlbisupport. com/bmi and if you find the kilos have crept up on you, making a few choice cuts in the amount of fat you eat-skimmed milk instead of full-fat milk, tandoori chicken instead of fried meat-will pay massive dividends in your weight-loss routine. 
In your 40s…Tax yourself 
Take a leaf from Popeye's book. When the Association for Advancement of Spinach Eating tells you to eat more greens, you smell a rat. But when the research teams at the Harvard Medical School insist that leafy green vegetables will stop you losing your pension book and leaving the gas on, it's time to listen. The folate and B vitamins in your greens lower your homocysteine levels-high levels of which have been linked to an increased risk of dementia. 
To raise your folic intake, add spinach leaves to your diet. Fortunately, the Indian eating tradition already makes room for spinach in a great many dishes-aloo palak, palak paneer, dal palak. Cook playing hookey? Pick a spinach and corn sandwich for lunch.

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