Senior moments aren’t just for seniors anymore.

Anyone can have a brain hiccup no matter how old or young they are — but the latest research shows that the cognitive slide we usually associate with aging actually begins earlier than anyone would have thought.

Much earlier.

And if you’re in your 40s, I got some bad news for you: Your brain may have already passed its peak, and it’s not getting any better from here unless you do something about it.

More on that in a moment — but first, the study that’s going to be hard to forget: A look at data on 5,200 men and 2,200 women who took part in the Whitehall II study of British civil servants finds that people begin a noticeable cognitive slide at the age of 45.

Over a 10-year period, men and women alike who were between 45 and 50 at the start of the study saw declines in every category except vocabulary, with an average drop of 3.6 percent in overall mental ability.

Men between 45 and 50 also experienced a 4 percent dip in reasoning and thinking skills during that 10-year period, while women saw a decline closer to 5 percent.

Obviously, older volunteers had even bigger drops — senior men suffered a 10 percent loss in thinking and reasoning, while senior women lost about 8 percent.

But the fact that younger people experienced any decline at all should be a wake-up call to take the actions now that can save your brain later — and that action should start with the simple B vitamins available at any health food store.

The Bs help control the most essential parts of brain function, everything from mood to muscles to memory — and if you boost your intake now, you can protect all three… especially that memory.

Studies have shown that seniors at risk of cognitive decline can slow, stop and even reverse the slide by upping their levels of B6, B12, and folate — but as the new study shows, you don’t want to wait until you’re a senior to start getting your Bs.

Start today… no matter how old — or young — you are.

“Fish is brain food” is the kind of age-old folk wisdom that’s been proven time and again by cutting-edge science — and the latest research confirms that the best way to keep your brain swimming in gray matter is with a steady diet of fish.

I mean that literally: Seniors who eat fish at least once a week have more of that critical gray matter, giving them a lower risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

The biggest boost is in the frontal and temporal lobes — specifically the areas most closely linked to memory and learning, or exactly where you want your extra gray matter to be.

And if you think the benefits inside the brain are impressive, you should see how that translates out in the real world: Just 3.2 percent of the fish-eaters developed cognitive decline over five years, versus 30.8 percent of those who ate little to no fish, according to data presented at a Radiological Society of North America meeting.

If there’s one area where the researchers found no benefit, it was in fried fish — and I have to wonder if it’s because of the frying… or because of the oils people tend to fry things in.

Most people don’t fry their foods — fish or otherwise — in healthy oils. They fry them in the unhealthiest polyunsaturated oils of all, including blended vegetable oils, soybean oil and safflower oil.

Try a healthier oil — like peanut oil — and all your fried foods will get a health boost (and taste better, too).

But let’s get back to seafood, cooked however you like — because a diet rich in fatty fish will do so much more than protect your brain. Fatty fish can help prevent heart disease, protect your vision, beat depression and even improve your gums.

Yet despite all those benefits, some simply won’t eat fish to save their lives. Maybe it’s the smell… the taste… the texture… or all three.

Whatever the reason, you don’t have to actually eat any fish at all to get the benefits — because almost all of those benefits come from the omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil, which you can find almost anywhere as a supplement.

Shop around before you commit to one — some brands will leave you with the “fish burps,” which is a little counterproductive if you’re taking pills to avoid the taste of fish in the first place.

Buy smaller sizes or sample packs first — it might take a little trial-and-burping, but eventually, you’ll find one that works for you.

Some nutrients, like vitamin D, always seem to be making headlines — while others, you just never hear about.

Take choline, for example.

When was the last time you heard about that one? Possibly never — but you might want to add it to your vocabulary, because this B vitamin found in egg yolks, liver, and chicken may have the power to protect your brain and keep dementia at bay.

Researchers looked at data on some 1,400 adults between the ages of 36 and 83 who were tracked for nearly a decade and given MRI exams along with tests to check both memory and cognitive ability.

You might want to stock up on eggs: The patients with the highest dietary choline intake did much better on those memory tests than those with the lowest. What’s more, the MRIs revealed fewer signs of “white matter hyperintensity” in the brain.

That’s a blood vessel problem that may be linked to both stroke and dementia.

Sounds great, right? But there’s just one catch: The choline levels were calculated based on food surveys, and food surveys simply aren’t good science. They rely too much on guesses, estimates, and memory.

That last one’s a little ironic given that memory tests were part of the study. Can those who did the worst on those tests really be relied on to give an accurate accounting of their food intake?

On the other hand, this study doesn’t come out of the blue, either — because choline is needed by the brain to make acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter involved in everything from muscles to memory.

Some studies have shown that Alzheimer’s patients lose the ability to turn choline into acetylcholine, and some promising experimental research has looked into finding ways to correct that — although if the problem is in the conversion, then choline supplements on their own won’t stop the disease.

But if they can prevent it, we’re on the right track — and earlier studies have shown that rats given choline in the womb go on to develop more powerful brains later.

Since choline is also essential for everything from your heart to your liver, you might want to add this to your supplement list. After all, it’s unlikely you’re getting enough from diet alone — unless you’re eating plenty of egg yolks.

By the way, choline isn’t the only B vitamin that can play a key role in stopping and even reversing cognitive decline: Seniors given a blend of B6, B12, and thiamine did significantly better on memory tests and had fewer signs of the brain shrinkage linked to dementia.

Learn more here.

The American Academy of Pediatrics got it all wrong on ADHD with its outrageous new screening guidelines – but the organization did manage to hit one nail right on the head.

And that’s with the new advice on television and little kids: Keep it off.

The group now says the only safe amount of television for a kid under the age of 2 is no television at all — and that includes “educational” programs and any DVDs that claim they can turn your child into the next Einstein, Mozart or da Vinci.

See? We can agree on something — although TV is a pretty easy target. After all, there are no studies that find television is good for children, especially young children.

Instead, multiple studies have found that little kids who watch TV — any TV, even the supposedly age-appropriate shows and videos — have a higher risk of developmental problems.

Other problems may not crop up right away — but you can bet the remote control they’re there: Children raised in front of a glowing screen have a higher risk of obesity, problems with social skills and even trouble doing their schoolwork… not to mention no time for homework.

After all, who has time for homework when SpongeBob is on?

And SpongeBob, by the way, is the last TV “friend” you want your kids spending time with — and not just the under-2 set. A recent study found that 4-year-old children who watch this show have immediate problems with attention spans, focus and memory.

It doesn’t get any better after that — a study I told you about last spring found that kids as young as 6 who watch the most TV already show the earliest warning signs of heart disease.

These problems follow kids right through childhood — and you don’t need a crystal ball to see where it’ll lead them in adulthood. One study this summer found that every two hours of daily TV viewing boosts the odds of type 2 diabetes by 20 percent, heart disease by 15 percent and death from any cause by 13 percent in adults.

Good advice tends to be good advice, no matter how old — or how young — you are. So whether you have little ones at home or not, do yourself a favor and keep the TV off as much as possible.