It’s official: Older Americans worried about cognitive decline can stay sharper for longer by exercising both their bodies and their brains and eating healthier.

That’s according to initial results released earlier this year from a rigorous U.S. study of lifestyle changes in seniors at risk of developing dementia . People following a combination of healthier habits slowed typical age-related cognitive decline — achieving scores on brain tests as if they were a year or two younger, researchers reported in JAMA and at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference.

It’s not too late to get started — study participants were in their 60s and 70s — and it doesn’t require becoming a pickleball champ or swearing off ice cream.

It is, however, too soon to know if stalling age-relat

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