There are many theories about how to get a long and healthy life, but not as many studies that actually show what makes a difference. Now, a research team in the USA has tried to find out how active lifestyle changes affect cognition – the brain's ability to interpret and process information – in older people.
The study included over 2,100 people between 60 and 79 years old. All were assessed to have an increased risk of cognitive decline, such as dementia. Half of the participants received advice on how to live a healthy life by eating well, exercising, being socially active, and keeping track of heart and vascular health.
The other half participated in a more structured and intensive program that included several instances of physical activity per week and cognitive training, as well as regular meetings with experts and other participants for encouragement.
The recommended diet was a variant of the Mediterranean diet with a high proportion of whole grains, fruits, leafy greens, and vegetable oils. Participants were also encouraged to perform physical and intellectually stimulating activities in groups. Examples of physical activity could include pulse-raising training for at least 30 minutes a day.
Encouragement is effective
After two years, the study showed that participants in both groups had improved their results on cognitive tests. But the group that received the more structured intervention had an annual improvement that was 14 percent higher than the group that received less support.
Erika Jonsson Laukka, who researches cognitive health and aging at the Karolinska Institute, has read the new study but did not participate in it herself. She thinks the results are promising. She points out that it is difficult to know what the participants do that is most effective, but it is likely that a combination of different activities is positive.
Even if you can't do everything the participants did, you can choose the parts that are practically feasible and fun. And if it's tough to get started, it can help to join a group or ask a friend for company and support, she says.
Effects can persist
The design of the current study is based on a Finnish study, the Finger study, led by researchers from the Karolinska Institute.
In it, they have seen that the effect of the intervention seems to persist even after the study has ended, says Erika Jonsson Laukka.
The study authors write that the improved test results in both groups could be partly explained by the fact that they did them regularly and that this has contributed to them becoming accustomed to such tests.
Petra Hedbom/TT
Facts: Cognition
TT
Cognition deals with the fundamental psychological functions such as memory, decision-making, emotion, attention, and perception.
Examples of cognition include paying attention to something in the environment, learning something new, making decisions, processing language, feeling and perceiving environmental stimuli, solving problems, and using memory.
A cognitive impairment can mean: Difficulty remembering, lack of simultaneous capacity, reduced concentration ability, reduced attention, reduced ability to plan, solve problems, and make decisions, difficulty finding and orienting oneself.
Source: Lund University, Neuroförbundet
