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Exercise, Active Social Life Keeps You Sharp

Posted on: Wednesday, 10 June 2009, 07:38 CDT

Want to stay sharp as you age? Start making friends, quit smoking and start working out.

Elderly people who exercise at least once a week, are not smokers, are more socially active and have at least a high school education and a ninth grade literacy level are more likely to maintain their cognitive skills through their 70s and 80s, a new study found.

Researchers followed 2,500 people between 70 and 79 for eight years and occasionally tested their cognitive levels. Most of the participants showed declines in cognitive functions, but 30 percent had no change or improved on the tests over the years. The researchers wanted to know what those people were doing right.

They discovered that non-smokers were nearly twice as likely to stay sharp than smokers, those who exercised moderately to vigorously at least once a week were 30 percent more likely to maintain than cognitive functions than non-exercisers, and people who worked, volunteered or reported living with someone were 24 percent more likely to maintain cognitive function late in life. Others who stayed sharp were people who held at least a high school education  (three times as likely than less educated) and elderly with a ninth grade literacy level or higher (five times as likely).

“Some of these factors such as exercise and smoking are behaviors that people can change,” study author Alexandra Fiocco, Ph.D., of the University of California, San Francisco, was quoted as saying. “Discovering factors associated with cognitive maintenance may be very useful in prevention strategies that guard against or slow the onset of dementia.”

SOURCE: Neurology, June 9, 2009

Source: Ivanhoe

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