Pensioners should invest in walking shoes and fish suppers, and not waste their money on supplements that promise to boost brain health, experts say.

The Global Council on Brain Health today finds that nutritional products which claim to help memory, thinking skills or reduce symptoms of dementia are a waste of money.

The body says there is “no convincing evidence” to support their use, and urged those in middle and older age to instead focus on having a healthy diet, with plenty of exercise.

Its experts said: “If a nutritional supplement’s claims sound too good to be true, it probably is.”

Sarah Lenz Lock, the council’s executive director, said: “Rather than buying a dietary supplement, spend money on new walking shoes or a salmon dinner.”

The global council is an independent collaborative of scientists, health professionals, academics and policy experts.

Caroline Abrahams, Age UK’s charity director said: “These eminent experts have concluded it doesn’t do any good to take supplements to promote your brain health in later life so our advice to older people is to save your money and spend it on a healthy diet, full of delicious fruit and vegetables instead.”

In the UK more than £900 million a year is spent on food supplements, with spending expected to reach £1 billion within two years.