Exercise, social interaction and keeping your brain active are the best ways to stave off cognitive decline in old age, according to a new, large-scale study.
The research, involving 19,000 elderly Chinese adults, looked at the range of physical exercise, social interaction and cognitive activities that were beneficial for preventing cognitive decline.
The combination of different types of activities influences cognitive function in various ways.
Exercise can protect cognition by improving physical health and maintaining brain reserve, social interaction improves mental health and encourages healthy behaviours, while cognitive activity may increase neural plasticity via complex thinking and mental training.
The study found that exercise, social interaction and cognitive activity were beneficial but volunteer activities were not.
It also found light- and moderate-intensity exercise was beneficial for cognition but vigorous activity was negatively related. And women appeared to benefit more from cognitive activities than men.
The findings, published in research journal BMC Geriatrics, were derived from the China Health and Longitudinal Study, which included 9,803 people aged 60 or older. Cognitive function was measured by orientation, episodic memory, calculation, language, naming and visuospatial ability – the ability to recognise the spatial relationships between seen objects.
“The findings indicate that participating in physical, social and cognitive activities can help older adults to maintain cognitive health,” the authors of the research, Mao Shan, Xie Lili and Lu Nan, of Renmin University of China, found.
“They suggest that older adults should select activities while considering activity intensity and their individual characteristics.”
Light- and moderate-intensity physical activity was most beneficial for cognition, followed by social interaction and cognitive activity. Social interaction included visiting friends, participation in community activity and using the internet.
Cognitive activity included board games, educational or training courses and stock investment.
Surprisingly, the effect of volunteer activities on cognitive functions – such as helping others, taking care of sick adults or formal charity work – was not significant.
As for vigorous-intensity exercise, the study found it was negatively related to cognition. This may have been because more than 70 per cent of the respondents lived in rural areas, where they generally spend much time on agricultural work even in old age.
“The results show that vigorous-intensity activity had an adverse effect on cognition among rural residents, whereas urban residents participated less in vigorous-intensity activities, and the influence on cognition was not significant,” according to the research authors.
A prior study noted that engaging in agricultural work may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, which is closely associated with cognitive decline.
We found that increased social isolation is strongly linked with faster cognitive decline among the elderly
This was reflected in the longitudinal study, which found women and older participants appeared to benefit more from cognitive activities than their male and younger counterparts and that the adverse effects of vigorous activity, including agricultural work, on cognitive health were strong in women and younger participants.
“The faster cognitive decline among women may be partially explained by longer life expectancy, lower educational level and biological difference – for example, sex hormones difference, brain structure, genetics, grey volume loss,” the research found.
Meanwhile, the protective effects of moderate-intensity physical activity on cognition increased with increasing age.
In a separate study published recently in the Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, researchers found early retirement can accelerate cognitive decline.
Researchers examined the New Rural Pension Scheme and the Chinese Health and Retirement Longitudinal Survey to determine how retirement plans affect cognitive performance among plan participants.
The most significant indicator of cognitive decline was delayed recall, a measure widely implicated in neurobiological research as an important predictor of dementia.
The pension programme had more negative effects among women, with the results supporting the mental retirement hypothesis that decreased mental activity results in worsening cognitive skills.
“We were surprised to find that pension benefits and retirement actually resulted in reduced cognitive performance,” says Plamen Nikolov, assistant professor economics, Binghamton University in the US.
“Participants in the programme report substantially lower levels of social engagement, with significantly lower rates of volunteering and social interaction than non-beneficiaries,” he adds.
“We found that increased social isolation is strongly linked with faster cognitive decline among the elderly.”
By contrast, the study found benefits and retirement lead to improved physical health.
“Interestingly, we found that the programme improved some health behaviours. Programme participants reported a reduced incidence of regular alcohol drinking compared to the previous year,” says Nikolov.
“Overall, the adverse effects of early retirement on mental and social engagement significantly outweigh the programme’s protective effect on various health behaviours.”
Best activities for staving off cognitive decline
1. Physical exercise
Light-intensity physical activity such as tai chi and walking where you are breathing as normal, or moderate-intensity activities where you are breathing more than normal – including bicycling at a normal speed and speed walking.
2. Social interaction
Visiting friends and family on a regular basis.
3. Cognitive activity
Playing board games such as mahjong, chess, or cards.
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