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According to a new study, Cognitive Abilities begin to deteriorate around the age of 27

According to Drs. Timothy Salthouse and Eric R. Braverman, the effects of the brain's cognitive abilities become less effective as early as our mid-twenties.

A recent study by Dr. Timothy Salthouse, a University of Virginia professor of psychology and the study's lead investigator, shows that people lose their full capacity to make rapid comparisons, remember unrelated information, and detect relationships.

Dr. Eric R. Braverman, author of the New York Times best-seller YOUNGER (THINNER) YOU DIET: How Understanding Your Brain Chemistry Can Help You Lose Weight, Reverse Aging, and Fight Disease (Rodale), has lectured on this topic both domestically and internationally.

Braverman says bad fats are literally clogging your brain. Just as excess body fat strains your heart muscle, excess brain fat strains your cognitive abilities.

"You can blame low acetylcholine levels for that," says Braverman.

"A fat-clogged brain loses its ability to produce the all-important acetylcholine neurotransmitter, which monitors brain speed, regulates sensory input, and accesses stored information."

What's more, another study from Case Western University in 2000 posited that a high-fat diet during early and mid-adulthood could be associated with an increased risk of developing Alzheimer's later in life.

In people aged 20 to 39, the combination of a genetic predisposition and a diet with more than 40 percent of calories from fat raised the risk of Alzheimer's by almost 23 times.

What lesson can be learned? Start increasing your acetylcholine levels now!

"It's not too late," urges Dr. Braverman. "Even a damaged, overweight brain can be healed by weight loss.

''Replace your overconsumption of bad fats with healthy fats, and retrain the brain to function properly."

Constantly engaging your mind and eating well are keys to keeping your brain young. As you exercise your brain, you increase its ability for attention and retention, therefore creating more "brain memory."

And by increasing your acetylcholine, you are creating a faster, more fluid brain, which will ultimately facilitate an increase in your metabolism.

In addition, you can increase acetylcholine through intellectual stimulation: reading books and magazines, completing a crossword or Sodoku puzzle, engaging in debates, or creating artwork.

Foods high in acetylcholine include: almonds, beef, blueberries, broccoli, celery, chicken, coffee, eggs, grape juice, oranges, peanuts, and peanut butter.