Doctors often advise exercising your brain to stay sharp but stretching your brain might be the better description. Research increasingly shows a variety of habits and hobbies offer a helpful cognitive workout. One recent study linked lifelong learning — things like reading, learning another language, playing chess — to slower cognitive decline, even postponing Alzheimer's for a few years. It's not proof. But experts say lifestyle changes that also include physical exercise, controlling blood pressure, good sleep and even a shingles vaccination offer a chance at slowing deterioration as we get older.
Older Americans worried about cognitive decline can stay sharper for longer by exercising both their bodies and their brains and eating healthier. That's according to initial results released Monday from a rigorous U.S. study of lifestyle changes in seniors at risk of developing dementia. A combination of healthier habits slowed typical age-related cognitive decline by up to two years, researchers reported in JAMA and at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference. It's not too late to get started and it doesn't require becoming a pickleball champ or swearing off ice cream.
New research suggests that Americans' risk for developing dementia over a lifetime may be higher than previously thought. A study found that after age 55, people have up to a 4 in 10 chance of eventually developing dementia — if they live long enough. The risk is highest after age 75, but doctors say there are ways to reduce that risk. Controlling blood pressure, diabetes and cholesterol is good for both your brain and your heart. They also urge staying physically and socially active. The study was published Monday in Nature Medicine.
A new study suggests that humanity is hitting the upper limit of life expectancy. Advances in medical technology and genetic research are not not translating into marked jumps in lifespan overall. That's according to researchers who found shrinking longevity increases in countries with the longest-living populations. The study was published online Monday by the journal Nature Aging. Experts say it's likely that the number of centenarians will grow in the decades ahead, but that's because of population growth.
