New Pursuits in Midlife May Boost Brainpower Later
With age comes wisdom. But eventually, older brains begin to slow down. New research suggests there might be a way to prolong your mental sharpness: adopting an intellectually stimulating lifestyle in midlife.
While a good education and successful career can reduce your risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and dementia as you age, what you do in your off hours matters too. In fact, people who didn’t excel in school or the professional world may actually gain more from lifelong learning.
That’s according to a new study published in the journal JAMA Neurology. Researchers studied about 2,000 older adults without dementia. They asked questions about their current and previous work and leisure activities, then followed them for an average of three and a half years.
New Tricks for Aging Brains
Those who maintained the most brainpower did intellectually stimulating activities at least three times a week. They started in their middle years—around age 50—and continued as they aged. On average, they developed dementia almost seven and a half years later (or three years, if they had a high genetic risk for Alzheimer’s disease) than those who didn’t stimulate their brains in this way.
The following endeavors worked to boost brainpower:
•Playing music
•Reading books and magazines
•Making crafts or art
•Joining a group or social event
•Playing games
•Using a computer
Reducing the Burden
Doctors haven’t yet found a cure for Alzheimer’s disease. But, the results provide new hope for prevention. Delaying dementia by even five years could reduce the expected number of older adults who suffer from the condition by 43 percent by the year 2050.
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