“Brain shrinkage” sounds scary enough. Seriously, who wants a shrinking brain?

But in reality, all our brains shrink a little over the years — and in most cases it’s nothing to worry about.

Some brains, however, shrink faster than others — and since this rapid loss of gray matter is often a warning sign of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, you want to limit your own shrinkage as much as possible.

And the best way to do that is with the vitamins you should be getting anyway.

I’ve told you how B vitamins can help slow the shrinkage linked to dementia and stop or even reverse cognitive decline. Now, blood tests on 104 seniors with an average age of 87 finds that those with the highest levels of vitamins B, C, D and E have the biggest brains.

Not coincidentally, seniors with high levels of these key nutrients also did the best on tests that measured certain cognitive functions — specifically, the ability to think, plan and solve problems. They also did better on tests measuring visuospatial skills and global cognitive function.

In plain talk, that means these vitamins can help keep your brain sharp enough to chase dementia away.

Along with those nutrients, make sure you get your share of omega-3 fatty acids — because the same study found that seniors with the highest levels of these essential fats had better cognitive function and less damage to the white matter of the brain.

And don’t forget while omega-3s can protect the brain, there’s another type of fat than can rot it from the inside: the dangerous trans fats used in so-called “healthy” products like margarine.

Seniors with the highest levels of those trans fats, which you’ll find in everything from coffee creamers to snack cakes, had smaller brains and did poorly on cognitive tests.

Keep in mind that food makers are allowed to round “low” levels of trans fats down to zero — so don’t trust the ingredients panel. Any product that has partially hydrogenated vegetable oils will have trans fats — so avoid them, even if it says “trans fat free” on the label.

It’s not the first study to show that nutrients can slow or stop dementia. As I mentioned earlier, B vitamins have proven time and again to prevent shrinkage, reduce inflammation and boost brainpower.

And while a good diet will include most of the vitamins you need to keep your brain sharp the exception to the rule is those Bs. You’ll need more of those than what you’ll find in food, so be sure to add a quality B complex to your regimen today.

Flu shots don’t work… but your friends in the media want you to get one anyway.

A new study finds the scantest of all possible benefits from the most heavily hyped vaccine of all time — benefits so small you have to wonder if they even exist at all.

But just take a look at the headlines:

• MSNBC: Flu shot not as effective as thought (but get one anyway)
• Wall Street Journal: Flu shot could be better, but for now it’s the best we’ve got
• Time Magazine: It’s no guarantee, but you should get the flu shot anyway

Best we got? Get one anyway? Sheesh — you’d think these “news” organizations were earning a commission here.

In reality, the study offers some of the most sobering evidence yet of the shot’s utter ineffectiveness. Overall, the analysis of data from 31 studies published since 1967 finds that just 2.7 percent of unvaccinated people got the flu versus 1.2 percent of those who got the shot.

It’s an absolute difference of 1.5 percent — but a statistical difference of 59 percent.

Guess which number the media is using? You guessed it — 59 percent, and most of them rounded that up to 60 percent.

If you want to lower your risk, there’s a much easier way to do it without having to go through the time, trouble, cost and risks of a flu shot.

Last year, Japanese researchers found that schoolchildren given 1,200 mg a day of vitamin D3 had a 58 percent lower risk of flu than kids given a placebo. The children who got the D were also three times less likely to catch a cold — something a flu shot won’t help you with at all.

Other immune boosters such as vitamins A, C and E and fish oil could slash that risk even further — and all of them are nutrients your body needs anyway. Throw in good hygiene, and you can cut your flu risk down to almost nothing.

When you can get that kind of boost from simple vitamins and regular hand-washing, why would you even waste your time with a flu shot?

I couldn’t believe what I saw on the news the other night: Diane Sawyer — in her most solemn Evening Anchor Voice — announced that vitamin E could increase the risk of prostate cancer by 17 percent.

Of course, I immediately popped open my computer to see what the fuss was all about it and all I can say is: Serves me right for watching the evening news!

The study that supposedly “proves” vitamin E can boost cancer risk is being billed as a double-blind, placebo-controlled piece of research — in other words, the gold standard of science.

But that’s not quite the whole story here — because in this case, the “gold standard” is more like a piece of gold-colored tin.

First, the 17 percent boost in risk is actually only a little bit beyond the margin of error. With a difference of just 1.6 cancer cases per 1,000 men per year, the association is weak at best.

Second, the difference in risk disappeared altogether in one of the groups of men: those who took vitamin E with the mineral selenium. If the researchers really believed the study proves that E boosts the cancer risk, then they should be singing the praises of selenium for lowering it.

Of course, that didn’t happen.

But there’s a third point here that calls into question anything and everything uncovered by the study: The “gold standard” part actually ended years ago — with no results at all!

The researchers pulled the plug after an average of 5.5 years of followup despite the fact that 5.5 years is practically no time at all when it comes to prostate cancer, which is notoriously slow to appear and even slower to grow.

The new numbers come from an additional 18 months of follow-up — and during that time, the men were no longer getting vitamins OR placebos as study subjects.

So now instead of a clear conclusion, all we have are more question marks: Did the men who were on the placebo start taking real vitamins after the study? Did the men who had been given free vitamins by the study stop? Did they keep at it but switch doses or blends? Did stopping vitamins, instead of taking them, actually case the increase in risk?

But there’s no question over vitamin E: Despite what you’ve heard, your body needs it — and even the government says most of us don’t get enough.

In other words, keep taking your supplements.

For most of us, seaweed is a nuisance: It can get in the way when you’re trying to swim, and that’s only if the smell of the stuff rotting on the beach doesn’t chase you back home before you even dip a toe in the water.

But in Asia, this nuisance is on the menu — and with good reason, too: Seaweed is one of the healthiest foods you can eat, and a new review of the research finds it can boost your heart health like nothing else.

Researchers looked at about 100 studies on seaweed and found that it has a similar effect on blood pressure as ACE inhibitors — but unlike prescription meds, seaweed comes with virtually no risks.

But that’s not all — not even close.

Researchers from the Teagasc Food Research Center in Dublin say the studies they reviewed show that seaweed and microalgae are as rich in bioactive peptides as dairy.

They’re also easy to cultivate, low in calories and rich in vitamins A, C, D, and E, as well as B vitamins and minerals such as calcium, phosphorus, sodium, and potassium.

And once you get over the fact that you’re eating beach debris, it can taste pretty good too. The Japanese use seaweed in nearly everything, including a simple salad of fresh seaweed tossed with healthy sesame oil and seeds.

I don’t know if seaweed is the reason they live longer than nearly anyone on the planet — all the fatty fish in the diet there probably have just as much, if not more, to do with it — but it’s an easy enough dish to replicate at home if you’re willing to give it a shot.

Along with keeping blood pressure in check, a regular side of seaweed might even help keep your weight under control by blocking the absorption of fat. One study found that rats given seaweed lost 10 percent of their body weight.

Seaweed also contains anti-inflammatory, anti-viral and antioxidant compounds. It can help beat pain, fight arthritis, lower your cancer risk, and keep cholesterol in check.

I could go on, but I think you get the point: It almost doesn’t matter what benefit you’re looking for — chances are, you’ll find it in simple seaweed… if you can stand the smell, anyway.