What Is A SuperAger and Can You Become One?

Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsThe History of SuperAgersSigns of Being a SuperAgerCan You Become One?Improve Your Memory

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

The History of SuperAgers

Signs of Being a SuperAger

Can You Become One?

Improve Your Memory

Close

A superager, also known as a super-ager, is a person who is at least eighty years of age and retains the memory skills and capacity of someone at least thirty years younger. This population falls well outside the “normal"memoryskill range for people their age.

Studies about the brain differences of superagers are still being conducted, and while there is likely a biological element to why a person does or does not become a superager,lifestyle habitscan improve a person’s chances of becoming one.

The Mesulam Center is currentlyconducting studiesto determine the genetic, brain, and lifestyle factors that help a person retain their memory so much better than their peers. Their research tactics involve brain imaging, blood study, paper surveys, and brain donation.

From a layperson’s perspective, there is one main sign of being a superager: You remember more than others in your age group. But from a scientific perspective, there are numerous factors that determine if a person is a superager. The following is true of people over eighty years old who are superagers:

Can You Become a SuperAger?

Even though studies about superagers continue to be underway, there’s no doubt that some factors of being one are likely biological. In the same way that some people are born with higher intellect than others, it’s safe to assume that some people’s bodies and brains are simply inclined to resist certain symptoms ofaging betterthan others.

However, even with the knowledge that there is probably a genetic component to becoming a superager, The Mesulam Center for Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer’s Disease does think that lifestyle factors play a role in the retention of brain cells. Let’s take a look at their suggestions for helping your brain remain as strong as possible as you grow older.

How to Improve Your Memory as You Age

There are several different lifestyle habits that you can adopt to increase your chances of becoming a superager.While these lifestyle habits don’t have any way to guarantee that you’ll become one, the good news is that they are all health habits to adopt in general. They have the potential to increase your well-being, happiness, and fitness, in addition to helping improve your brain power and memory.

Challenge Yourself Mentally

The saying “get comfortable being uncomfortable” applies well to those who want to become superagers. In order to keep your brain strong, it’s important to perform activities that fall outside your comfort zone.Neuroplasticityis our brains' ability to change as welearn new things; that means that the act of learning something new can actually enable your brain to change physically.

Of course, you don’t have to do anything unpleasant in challenging your brain: The goal is to be able to do things that are outside your comfort zone, not that make you miserable! There are many ways to keep your brain strong with activities you enjoy. Some ways you might choose to challenge yourself mentally include:

Be Active

It’s well known thatexerciseis good for both your physical and your mental health, so it’s no surprise that superagers tend to be active. However, you don’t have to go to the gym if that isn’t something you enjoy. There are many ways to be active, and if you do the ones you enjoy most, you’ll be the most likely to stick with them over time. Some activities that aren’t standard calisthenics or weight training exercise but still raise your heart rate and are beneficial are:

Eat Vital Nutrients

Just like it’s common knowledge that being active is good for your longevity, most people also know that eating well can help you to live a more nourished life. Some nutrients are particularly good for your brain, and others can detract from its ability to perform well. In addition to eating less sugar, you’ll want to ensure you eat sufficient amounts of the following nutrients that help your brain to thrive. These foods have been shown to help protect your brain from decline:

Be Social and Enjoy Life

The team at Northwestern note that “SuperAgers tend to report strong social relationships with others.” It’s actually a good thing for your brain to keep social connections as you grow older, and your brain will benefit from socializing with others in person. Maintaining connection with others can be an excellent choice in general for your mental health, as it can help stave off loneliness anddepression.

In addition to spending time with friends, superagers know to focus on more than just a healthy lifestyle—they also have fun. Some consume alcohol moderately, which, provided it is not overconsumed, helps to reduce the risk of getting Alzheimer’s disease.Whatever you enjoy, make sure that you keep space in your schedule for it. And if you enjoy it with a friend, that’s even better.

A Word From Verywell

It’s normal to experience cognitive decline as you age, andwomen may experienceits onset more quickly than men do. If you have noticed that your memory is not as strong as it used to be, it’s worth seeing a professional to rule out any illness such as Alzheimer’s Disease.

11 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Join the superaging research program[Internet].SuperAger study expands nationally with $20 million grant[Internet]. [cited 2022 Nov 7].Medicine N. 4 habits of “superagers”[Internet]. Northwestern Medicine.Gefen T, Peterson M, Papastefan ST, Martersteck A, Whitney K, Rademaker A, et al.Morphometric and histologic substrates of cingulate integrity in elders with exceptional memory capacity. J Neurosci. 2015 Jan 28;35(4):1781–91. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2998-14.2015SuperAger brains resist protein tangles that lead to Alzheimer’s[Internet].Medicine N.4 habits of “superagers”[Internet]. Northwestern Medicine. [cited 2022 Nov 7].Morris MC, Wang Y, Barnes LL, Bennett DA, Dawson-Hughes B, Booth SL.Nutrients and bioactives in green leafy vegetables and cognitive decline.Neurology. 2018 Jan 16;90(3):e214–22. doi: 10.1212%2FWNL.0000000000004815Cederholm T.Fish consumption and omega-3 fatty acid supplementation for prevention or treatment of cognitive decline, dementia or Alzheimer’s disease in older adults - any news?Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2017 Mar;20(2):104–9. doi:10.1001/archneur.62.12.noc50161Ran LS, Liu WH, Fang YY, Xu SB, Li J, Luo X, et al.Alcohol, coffee and tea intake and the risk of cognitive deficits: a dose–response meta-analysis.Epidemiol Psychiatr Sci. 2021 Feb 11;30:e13. doi:10.1017%2FS2045796020001183Devore EE, Kang JH, Breteler MMB, Grodstein F.Dietary intake of berries and flavonoids in relation to cognitive decline.Ann Neurol. 2012 Jul;72(1):135–43. doi:10.1002%2Fana.23594Moderate drinking can reduce alzheimer’s risk[Internet]. Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation. 2011.

11 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Join the superaging research program[Internet].SuperAger study expands nationally with $20 million grant[Internet]. [cited 2022 Nov 7].Medicine N. 4 habits of “superagers”[Internet]. Northwestern Medicine.Gefen T, Peterson M, Papastefan ST, Martersteck A, Whitney K, Rademaker A, et al.Morphometric and histologic substrates of cingulate integrity in elders with exceptional memory capacity. J Neurosci. 2015 Jan 28;35(4):1781–91. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2998-14.2015SuperAger brains resist protein tangles that lead to Alzheimer’s[Internet].Medicine N.4 habits of “superagers”[Internet]. Northwestern Medicine. [cited 2022 Nov 7].Morris MC, Wang Y, Barnes LL, Bennett DA, Dawson-Hughes B, Booth SL.Nutrients and bioactives in green leafy vegetables and cognitive decline.Neurology. 2018 Jan 16;90(3):e214–22. doi: 10.1212%2FWNL.0000000000004815Cederholm T.Fish consumption and omega-3 fatty acid supplementation for prevention or treatment of cognitive decline, dementia or Alzheimer’s disease in older adults - any news?Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2017 Mar;20(2):104–9. doi:10.1001/archneur.62.12.noc50161Ran LS, Liu WH, Fang YY, Xu SB, Li J, Luo X, et al.Alcohol, coffee and tea intake and the risk of cognitive deficits: a dose–response meta-analysis.Epidemiol Psychiatr Sci. 2021 Feb 11;30:e13. doi:10.1017%2FS2045796020001183Devore EE, Kang JH, Breteler MMB, Grodstein F.Dietary intake of berries and flavonoids in relation to cognitive decline.Ann Neurol. 2012 Jul;72(1):135–43. doi:10.1002%2Fana.23594Moderate drinking can reduce alzheimer’s risk[Internet]. Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation. 2011.

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Join the superaging research program[Internet].SuperAger study expands nationally with $20 million grant[Internet]. [cited 2022 Nov 7].Medicine N. 4 habits of “superagers”[Internet]. Northwestern Medicine.Gefen T, Peterson M, Papastefan ST, Martersteck A, Whitney K, Rademaker A, et al.Morphometric and histologic substrates of cingulate integrity in elders with exceptional memory capacity. J Neurosci. 2015 Jan 28;35(4):1781–91. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2998-14.2015SuperAger brains resist protein tangles that lead to Alzheimer’s[Internet].Medicine N.4 habits of “superagers”[Internet]. Northwestern Medicine. [cited 2022 Nov 7].Morris MC, Wang Y, Barnes LL, Bennett DA, Dawson-Hughes B, Booth SL.Nutrients and bioactives in green leafy vegetables and cognitive decline.Neurology. 2018 Jan 16;90(3):e214–22. doi: 10.1212%2FWNL.0000000000004815Cederholm T.Fish consumption and omega-3 fatty acid supplementation for prevention or treatment of cognitive decline, dementia or Alzheimer’s disease in older adults - any news?Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2017 Mar;20(2):104–9. doi:10.1001/archneur.62.12.noc50161Ran LS, Liu WH, Fang YY, Xu SB, Li J, Luo X, et al.Alcohol, coffee and tea intake and the risk of cognitive deficits: a dose–response meta-analysis.Epidemiol Psychiatr Sci. 2021 Feb 11;30:e13. doi:10.1017%2FS2045796020001183Devore EE, Kang JH, Breteler MMB, Grodstein F.Dietary intake of berries and flavonoids in relation to cognitive decline.Ann Neurol. 2012 Jul;72(1):135–43. doi:10.1002%2Fana.23594Moderate drinking can reduce alzheimer’s risk[Internet]. Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation. 2011.

Join the superaging research program[Internet].

SuperAger study expands nationally with $20 million grant[Internet]. [cited 2022 Nov 7].

Medicine N. 4 habits of “superagers”[Internet]. Northwestern Medicine.

Gefen T, Peterson M, Papastefan ST, Martersteck A, Whitney K, Rademaker A, et al.Morphometric and histologic substrates of cingulate integrity in elders with exceptional memory capacity. J Neurosci. 2015 Jan 28;35(4):1781–91. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2998-14.2015

SuperAger brains resist protein tangles that lead to Alzheimer’s[Internet].

Medicine N.4 habits of “superagers”[Internet]. Northwestern Medicine. [cited 2022 Nov 7].

Morris MC, Wang Y, Barnes LL, Bennett DA, Dawson-Hughes B, Booth SL.Nutrients and bioactives in green leafy vegetables and cognitive decline.Neurology. 2018 Jan 16;90(3):e214–22. doi: 10.1212%2FWNL.0000000000004815

Cederholm T.Fish consumption and omega-3 fatty acid supplementation for prevention or treatment of cognitive decline, dementia or Alzheimer’s disease in older adults - any news?Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2017 Mar;20(2):104–9. doi:10.1001/archneur.62.12.noc50161

Ran LS, Liu WH, Fang YY, Xu SB, Li J, Luo X, et al.Alcohol, coffee and tea intake and the risk of cognitive deficits: a dose–response meta-analysis.Epidemiol Psychiatr Sci. 2021 Feb 11;30:e13. doi:10.1017%2FS2045796020001183

Devore EE, Kang JH, Breteler MMB, Grodstein F.Dietary intake of berries and flavonoids in relation to cognitive decline.Ann Neurol. 2012 Jul;72(1):135–43. doi:10.1002%2Fana.23594

Moderate drinking can reduce alzheimer’s risk[Internet]. Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation. 2011.

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