By Shelly Reese
SmartHealthToday
Hoping to stay sharp as a tack? You might try sending an email or joining a bridge club.
Keeping the brain active with social activities and using a computer may help older adults reduce their risk of developing memory and thinking problems, according to a new study presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s annual meeting this month in Vancouver, Canada.
“Just as staying physically active can delay or prevent physical decline, staying mentally stimulated can provide a counter-force to cognitive decline,” says Dr. Vinod Krishnan of St. Elizabeth Physicians Neurology.
For the study, researchers from the Mayo Clinic followed 1,929 people, age 70 and older, who were part of the larger Mayo Clinic Study of Aging in Rochester, Minn. The participants had normal memory and thinking abilities at recruitment. They were then followed for an average of four years.
Prior to the study, researchers asked participants about their engagement in mentally stimulating activities such as computer use, reading, crafting and social activities during the previous year.
The study found that people who used a computer once per week or more were 42 percent less likely to develop memory and thinking problems: only 18 percent of computer users showed cognitive decline over the ensuing four years compared to nearly 31 percent of non-computer users.
Participants who engaged in social activities were, likewise, 23 percent less likely to develop memory problems than their more isolated peers: 20 percent of the outgoing crowd developed problems, compared with 26 percent of the homebodies.
That’s not to say quiet activities aren’t mentally beneficial. People who reported reading magazines were 30 percent less likely to develop memory problems than non-readers, crafters were 16 percent less likely to develop problems than non-crafters and game players enjoyed a 14 percent advantage over their peers who didn’t play.
“An individual has a limited ability to actively work against the forces of cognitive decline,” says Dr. Krishnan. “This primarily comes in the forms of staying mentally, physically, and socially active.”
SmartHealthToday is a service of St. Elizabeth Healthcare.
