Improving our cognitive functions at any age seems to be a good idea. In a world where the ageing population will soon outnumber the young it is an event more important to find a way to protect and enchants them. Everywhere there more and more different products that promise to keep the mind young and sharp. They can be found everywhere from the Apple App store, where you can find apps that help you improve problem solving and decision making abilities to the pharmacy, where you can find tens of different dietary supplements that claim to improve memory. Unfortunately, not all of them really help, therefore, the question is there something that can really maintain or improve our cognitive functions for real.
One of the many hypothesis is
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Podewils et al. (2005) found that it is possible that physical activities decreases the risk of dementia and conserve cognitive function. The study calculated the leisure-time energy expenditure and an activity index reflecting number of different physical activities of 3, 375 men and women over the age of 65 that did not suffer from dementia that participated in Cardiovascular Health Cognition Study. After a mean follow-up of 5.4 years, 480 of the participants has developed dementia. After multivariate adjustment, the study found that individuals who participated in 4 or more activities had a lower risk of dementia the those who engaged in one or less. Laurin et al. (2001), Scarmeas et al. (2001) and Larson et al. (2006), also, found similar relationship between physical exercise and dementia in people age of 65 and older. They all found that regular physical activity reduce the risk of dementia and/or preserve cognitive functions. Up to this point we saw evidence that physical exercise can prevent the decline of cognitive functions in later life, but that does not mean that it improves them.
There are some studies that could not find a relationship between exercise and cognitive functions in people over the age of 65. For example, Sturman et al. (2005) could not find evidence that physical activity alone protects against cognitive decline in this age group. They assed 4055 adults over the age of 64 on with questions
No one wants to lose their mind. But the reality is that the risk of dementia doubles every five years after the age of sixty-five. Is there anything that can be done to prevent this age-related loss of brain function? Are There Ways to Reduce Dementia Through Lifestyle Changes? European researchers analyzed 1,433 people over the age of 65 to determine what lifestyle factors would reduce the risk of dementia the most. After getting a complete medical history on the participants, they tested their cognitive function at intervals over a seven year period. What did they find? According to this research, the two best ways to reduce the risk of dementia is to eliminate diabetes and depression - both of which are dementia risk factors. If both of these factors were eliminated and more people were encouraged to eat fruits and vegetables, the number of new cases of dementia would drop by 21%. There 's some controversy as to whether depression actually increases the risk of dementia - or whether it 's simply an early sign of the disease. This study suggests that depression probably does increase the risk of the disease - and isn 't just a symptom. It 's not surprising that diabetes is a risk factor since it 's associated with insulin resistance. Some studies show insulin resistance increases the risk of dementia. Another way to reduce dementia risk is to encourage people to be literate and educated. This study showed that the number of new cases of dementia would drop by 18% if
A study conducted by Harvard Medical School regarding on how could exercise help your brain and what kind of exercise will help your brain to have a better result. In this article, we learn that exercises can help your brain and can also help your memory. The researchers examined different people to try to understand what exercises could help your brain using 30 minutes section. In this study, the researchers randomly evaluate people doing exercises like cardio and compared their memory and their productivity with those that didn’t any type of exercises.
Participation in physical activity has been shown to have many health benefits for older adults; this study does not provide strong support that it protects against cognitive decline. Reports have been made that physical activity may help guard against stroke and coronary heart disease, both of which may be associated with the development of dementia. Some studies were either limited in their scope or had short follow-up times. In all they find that for older adults, physical activity alone may not protect against cognitive decline. (By Charnicia E. Huggins: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/exerciseforseniors.html)
There are the studies in human show that doing soft exercise can decrease the risk of cognitive impairment when compared to those people who not doing any kind of exercise (Gregory,Parker,&Thompson,2012), and it suggests those people who always work out usually have a good mental health implicitly (Gregory,Parker,&Thompson,2012). When you regular doing exercise, your brain function will be improved and the communication between neurons will be good working (Gregory,Parker,&Thompson,2012). Doing exercise is suitable for older adults to enhance their physical health and boots their brain function, however, it also causes the pain in some
Research has proven that physical activity improves cognitive function and can also improve brain function throughout a lifespan. Moreover, staying physically active has so many benefits as well. For example, doing exercise and fitness activities help build cells and natural pathways to help reduce changes in memory loss or dementia. Also, it has so many health benefits including long-term improvements to the cognitive function as the young adult reaching mid
Cavanaugh and Blanchard-Fields (2015) state that there is research showing how brain plasticity can be enhanced through aerobic exercise (p.51). It is important that adults be active in their lives. A 30-minute walk or some type of physical activity will benefit them as the age. The text mentions a study done by Erickson and his colleagues in 2009 where they studied the effect of aerobic exercise on the hippocampus. They found that due to aerobic exercise it produced greater volume in the hippocampus. This is significant because the hippocampus is the part of the brain that is responsible for memory, emotions, and spatial functioning. The body does not only need physical activities to produce healthier cognitive functioning but also nutrients. The text identifies three nutrient biomarker patterns that are significant on the aging brain. These nutrients are vitamin B, C,D, and E, omega-3, and trans fat. the foods that belong to these nutrients are beneficial to the brain. Older adults should make an effort to include these nutrients into their diets. positive impacts these nutrients make are better cognitive functioning and greater brain
Even late-life activity influence reduced risk of dementia, so it is never too late to initiate intervention enhancing cognitive factors. Still intervention at earlier life period might more beneficial because of greater exposure to cognitive reserve-enhancing factors lower risk of dementia. Finally, cumulative exposure to reserve-enhancing factors over the lifespan equally effective both individuals with and without genetic
Dementia is the loss of cognitive functioning which affects an individual’s daily life. Alzheimer’s disease is a form of dementia that slowly destroys memory and thinking and the ability to perform simple tasks. There is some research that suggests cognitive training may slow the progression of dementia. Cognitive training challenges a variety of cognitive functions such as attention, memory and speed, which is different to general brain training that people may come across in their daily life (Kanaan et al., 2014). Various limitations
Most of the older persons in my family have developed dementia at their old age. “Attempting to avoid dementia development, some risk factors taken into account include ones that are unable to be modified: age with age-influencing early-life deleterious conditions, gender, and genetic influence. Additionally, several inborn physical attributes factor in such as lack of early education, environmental stress, and major unexpected circumstances that include accidents and trauma associated with increased risk for dementia. Physical activity has been suggested to weaken the pathophysiology of dementia through constant blood flow to the brain (sustained cerebral perfusion) due to the established relationship between hypertension and dementia. Some examples of physical activity include: dancing, undergoing either usual care or exercise for 60 minutes twice a week. ‘Physical activity’ refers to ‘usual care plus physical activity.’” Although some studies suggest that nutrition-wise antioxidants, fish oil, omega-3 fatty acid, and other supplements help delay the onset of dementia, there has been no absolute prevention from neither physical activity nor nutrition.”
Despite the number of lives Alzheimer’s disease has affected, it cannot be cured. An estimated five million Americans are affected by this disease (“Alzheimer’s Disease Fact Sheet”); treatment trials are being conducted in addition to extensive research to learn more about lifestyle choices to support brain health. As a result, researchers are beginning to find ways to prevent this disease. Lifestyle choices including physical activity, social engagement, obtaining a healthy diet, and receiving a good night’s sleep may help counteract Alzheimer’s disease and support brain health. Although an innumerable amount of people across the United States are affected by Alzheimer's disease, it can be prevented.
Due to the inconsistency between studies there is no definitive exercise dosage or type that can aid in protection against dementia. However, from the evidence provided it suggests that higher levels of exercise can be used as a neuroprotective mechanism to prevent the onset of
Many studies have been broad, studying the vocabulary, reasoning, memory, and speed of the person, but zoning in on one thing specific may lead to further understanding. Studying the effects of cognitive aging in relation to memory possibly will open so many more areas of study. Studying specific age groups could also be helpful when attempting to understand cognitive aging as a whole. Learning about how speed, memory, vocabulary, and reasoning all work within a child, 10-15 years old, might be helpful when comparing that data to that information of an adult. between 50-60 years
Out of the rapidly inclining population in the world, there are people who develop dementia every 66 seconds(“2016 Alzheimer’s Disease”). Being such a common disease in the elderly, there are 47.5 million people in the world with this disease(“2016 Alzheimer’s Disease”). Once families start to realize that their parents and grandparents have developed this, they start to wonder if they are able to live on their own. Within a few months, a decision is made whether if it is best for them to be put into a nursing home. Most often, those with dementia do happen to end up in nursing homes. Many wonder if being put into a nursing home will actually cause their dementia and their ability to live on their own to worsen. With the effects of activities, this could change. Activities help slow the deterioration of the brain(Smith). The activities and exercises performed by nursing homes to help improve the overall cognitive development in dementia patients. Nursing homes should induct purposeful daily activities to improve cognitive, social, and psychological development in dementia care
The articles by Erikson et al., Gatz, Korol et al., and Draganski et al. explore the concept of increased physical activity and/or mental activity having effects on the cognitive function and development or deterioration of the brain as we age. Although I agree that physical exercise is critical in increasing cognitive function because of the health benefits it provides, as well as the increased blood flow and circulation throughout the body, I ultimately believe that a healthy brain is not achieved solely by physical exercise or mental exercise, but both. I think there is a link between physical and mental exercise, and that the combination of these two activities creates higher cognitive functioning of the mind as well as the body. The mind and body come together and meet to make an overall healthy individual.
Participants were part of The 90+ Study, a population-based longitudinal study of aging and dementia among people aged 90 years and older. Participants were originally members of The Leisure World Cohort Study, an epidemiological health study established in the early 1980s of a retirement community in California (Laguna Woods). The cohort is mostly female, Caucasian, well educated, and upper-middle class. The 1,150 individuals alive and aged 90 and older as of January 1, 2003 were invited to participate and 950 participants had joined as of December 31, 2007.