Seniors who want to avoid dementia should embrace mental challenges. Nearly 500 people in the Bronx who were 75 to 85 years old were studied. None of them had memory problems or confusion at the outset. About one-fifth developed dementia over the next five years.
At the start of the seniors were asked how often they read, wrote, did crossword puzzles, played cards or board games, participated in group discussions or played music. Each activity was rated–7 points for daily participation, 4 points for several times a week and 1 point for once a week. People who undertook 11 of these mentally stimulating activities each week were less likely to develop dementia. They maintained their cognitive capacity more than a year longer, on average, than those who participated in only four of them. The connection held up even after the scientists adjusted the statistics for educational achievement. Apparently, the rule “use it or lose it” works for mind as well as for muscle.
[Neurology, Aug. 4, 2009]
