People who engage in healthy lifestyle behaviours have a lower risk of mild memory complaints, new research in the journal Psychogeriatrics suggests.
Scientists at the University of California, Los Angeles teamed up with research firm Gallup to poll more than 18,500 people, aged 18 to 99 years.
Participants were surveyed about their memory and health behaviours throughout their adult lives.
The researchers found that healthy eating, not smoking and exercising regularly were all associated with better memory abilities for most people.
The more healthy behaviours a person reported, the less likely they were to complain about their memory.
Perhaps surprisingly, older adults between the ages of 60 and 99 were more likely to report healthy lifestyles than middle-aged or younger adults.
Study author Dr Gary Small, director of the university's Longevity Centre, commented: 'These findings reinforce the importance of educating young and middle-aged individuals to take greater responsibility for their health - including memory - by practising positive lifestyle behaviours earlier in life.'