This intermediate zone between normal brain aging and dementia is called mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and it can be a cause for concern—once signs of MCI begin to crop up, they can progress into dementia (typically in the form of Alzheimer’s disease) at an annual rate of 8% to 15%.

Dementia affects approximately 24 million people1 worldwide and its global prevalence is expected to quadruple by the year 2050. What’s more, almost two-thirds of Americans with Alzheimer’s are female. Arguably, taking care of our brains is more critical today than ever before (especially for women).