The Checkup: Brains Decline Earlier Than Expected

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• Looks like 45 is the new 60 when it comes to brain health. New research has found that in men and women, cognitive function starts to fall off in the mid-forties, rather than early sixties as researchers previously thought. The study, which looked at a larger sample set and tested subjects more frequently than previous studies, found that people who were tested at around age 45 saw a 3.6 percent decline in their ability to reason over the next decade. And when they reached their 50s and 60s, the decline sped up. Memory and what’s called “verbal fluency”—the ability to quickly rattle off words in a category—faded, too. NPR has more.

• Here’s a gym with a very particular clientele: Downsize Fitness, with locations in Chicago and Las Vegas, accepts only members who have 50 pounds or more to lose. The idea is that by surrounding yourself with people as out of shape as you are—rather than guys with bulging muscles and girls with 26-inch waists—overweight people will feel less intimidated and actually stick to their workout routines for the long haul. Read more here.

• Kate Middleton has decided which causes to champion, now some eight months after walking down the aisle. Among them, she’ll devote her efforts to helping British charity Action on Addiction, which focuses on addiction research and treatment and helps addicts’ families. More here.