Gene Conley was a three-time National League baseball All-Star and played on three championship teams with the NBA's Boston Celtics.

Wilt Chamberlain, a four-time pro basketball MVP, played volleyball for five years with the International Volleyball Association, and had a track and basketball scholarship to college. He was also recruited by boxing, soccer, and football organizations.

Multisport talents can give you a richly diverse life.

Multiple health conditions, on the other hand, present a major league risk for cognitive woes, according to a study in JAMA Network Open.

How big is the risk?

The 62% of U.S. adults ages 65 to 74 and 81.5% who are 85 or older and are living with multiple health conditions are at a 63% greater risk for dementia.

The greatest risk for women was seen in those contending with the combination of high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease; or pain, osteoporosis, and indigestion.

For men, having diabetes and high blood pressure, or heart disease, high blood pressure, and stroke were most risky.

Because so many older people are contending with multiple ailments, the researchers project there will be three times more folks with serious cognition problems in 2050 than there are today.

Luckily, whatever your age there is a lot you can do to help protect your brain.

The short course: walking 10,000 steps a day; strength training; eating high-fiber foods; eliminating red meats and processed or sugar-added foods; sleeping seven to nine hours nightly; learning new things and doing speed of processing games; staying connected; and practicing generosity.