Published on June 28, 2007 at 9:12 PM
According to a new study elderly people can reduce their risk of developing Alzheimer's disease by reading newspapers, playing chess, or engaging in other mentally stimulating activities.
The finding has been revealed following five years of tests on more than 700 volunteers in Chicago, with an average age of 80.
The participants were part of the Rush Memory and Aging Project, a longitudinal study of more than 1,200 older people.
Of the group 90 developed Alzheimer's disease and the researchers noted that in old age a cognitively active person was 2.6 times less likely to develop dementia and Alzheimer's disease.
They believe the findings may be used to help prevent Alzheimer's disease.
Dr. Robert S. Wilson from the Alzheimer's Disease Center at Rush University Medical Center says Alzheimer's disease is among the most feared consequences of old age and poses enormous public health problems which are expected to increase during the coming decades.
He says the study highlights the urgent need for strategies to prevent the disease or delay its onset.
The study also found activities during old age, such as visiting a library or attending a play, was associated with reduced risk of mild cognitive impairment, a transitional stage between normal aging and dementia, and less rapid decline in cognitive function.
Other studies have suggested that keeping socially engaged and eating a Mediterranean diet also help prevent the disorder.
This research is published in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology and was supported by grants from the National Institute on Aging and the Illinois Department of Public Health.