June 24, 2025 – Not to state the obvious, but: You only get one brain. Take it for granted, and your odds of Alzheimer’s and dementia increase as you age.
Brain-boosting tips and products are everywhere, but most aren’t backed by science. So for Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month (and the other 11 months), we asked experts: What’s the most overhyped brain-protecting strategy, and what’s the one more people should be using?
Skip that: Taking nootropic supplements
The hype: Sometimes marketed as smart drugs, memory enhancers, or brain boosters, nootropics promise to improve your thinking skills. The industry is enormous, amassing nearly $9 billion in global sales in 2022 – 40% of which came from the U.S.
The reality: While prescription nootropics – like ADHD and Alzheimer’s medications – are proven to work for their FDA-approved uses, evidence for over-the-counter supplements is thin, said Eva Feldman, MD, PhD, director of the NeuroNetwork for Emerging Therapies at the University of Michigan. Companies get away with vague claims of improved memory or brain function because the FDA only oversees products with specific health claims. That means most makers of these substances are never asked to prove their promises – or even that the supplement includes the ingredients on the label.
Science says: One study review of 18 common ingredients in brain-boosting supplements found “no compelling evidence for use of apoaequorin, coenzyme Q10, coffee extracts, L-theanine, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin B6, vitamin B9, or vitamin B12 supplementation for memory.”
Plus, the lack of regulation may pose a health risk, particularly if undisclosed ingredients cause harmful side effects. Another study tested a dozen “brain health” supplements and found two-thirds were missing at least one ingredient on the label – and all but two contained ingredients that weren’t on the label.
What to do: Talk to your doctor before taking any OTC nootropic product, said Scott Small, MD, director of the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center at Columbia University.
“The first issue is, do no harm. And harm can be both health and financial,” he said. “I have patients who come in spending hundreds of dollars on false claims. It’s shocking.”
Do this: Protect your hearing – and get hearing aids if you need them.
Why it matters: People with hearing loss have a 37% higher risk of getting dementia than people with no hearing impairment. And the longer that hearing loss goes untreated, the worse your odds get. Hearing aids reduce that risk.
What we know: “Your brain is made up of billions of nerve cells that communicate with each other using electrical signals and chemicals,” Feldman said. “Hearing loss decreases the communication between nerve cells, and this communication is important for keeping the brain healthy.”
With untreated hearing loss, you’re missing out on more than just speech. Studies have found that musicians and piano tuners – people who listen closely to music – often show increased brain volume. With hearing loss, you miss that brain-boosting opportunity.
Science says: A mounting body of research shows a strong link between hearing loss and risk of dementia. How long you’ve had hearing loss and how severe it is matter: People who’ve been living with hearing loss for more than 25 years have the highest risk. One study found that for every 10-decibel loss in hearing (the difference between a quiet conversation and a whisper), dementia risk increases by 16%.
What to do: If you think you’ve lost hearing, get tested ASAP – and get hearing aids as soon as you’re told you need them. Remember, the problem isn’t so much hearing loss itself – it’s untreated hearing loss. Across the board, people in studies who wore hearing aids had a lower likelihood of dementia.