| Subject: Minds in motion stay sharp |
Author:
Betty
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Date Posted: 13:26:05 01/25/05 Tue
In reply to:
Betty
's message, "no no no, you can have her, she's too fat for me" on 10:16:27 03/10/04 Wed
Minds in motion stay sharp
At 87, Katie Johnson is convinced she has a surefire way to ward off Alzheimer's: the fox trot.
The retired schoolteacher spends every other Friday fox-trotting the night away.
She also swims five days a week. She teaches piano at a local senior center. She attends Bible study classes. She plays Scrabble and bridge.
And she tools around Indianapolis in a red Corvette.
Research suggests those nights spent whirling around the dance floor and days motoring around town in her snappy car probably are increasing Johnson's chances of avoiding the dreaded disease of debilitating memory loss.
The best Alzheimer's prevention might be this simple: Go have fun.
Such familiar leisure activities as book groups and Friday night poker clubs might help keep the brain sharp and decrease the odds of developing Alzheimer's, according to research at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York and the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden. The Albert Einstein study found that the most active seniors, both mentally and physically, reduced their risk of developing dementia by 63%, compared with the least active seniors. (Related story: Brain power vs. Alzheimer's)
Researchers are now finding the best activities are those that challenge the brain, are done with other people and might even involve a good workout, such as a fast spin around the dance floor.
"Retirement is no excuse for an idle brain," says Murali Doraiswamy, an Alzheimer's expert at Duke University. "If you're not active, then you're more susceptible to the onslaught of Alzheimer's."
Seniors with chronic health problems might not be able to dance or even walk a block. But almost anyone can host a book club at home, says Gene Cohen, director of the Center on Aging, Health & Humanities at George Washington University in Washington, D.C.
In fact, older people should plan for times they'll be laid up with health problems. A lively discussion with friends can go a long way toward keeping the brain in top shape, Cohen says.
No book club or dance step has the power of vanquishing Alzheimer's, a disease caused partly by genetic factors, Cohen says. Still, the research suggests that complex leisure activities could offer seniors, even those at high risk for the disease, a better shot at delaying its onset.
Delay is all the more crucial considering there is no cure for Alzheimer's, which afflicts 4.5 million Americans.
'Use it or lose it'
Johnson doesn't have a family history of the disease, but her age puts her at high risk. Nearly half of all people older than 85 have Alzheimer's, according to the Alzheimer's Association.
Johnson shows no sign of the extreme memory loss that can signal Alzheimer's. And she wants to keep it that way. "So many of my friends are forgetful," she says. "I'm hoping I've kept up pretty well."
Scientific evidence suggests Alzheimer's begins to attack the brain decades before the first symptoms of memory loss appear.
Starting in the 1980s, researchers began to explore the "use it or lose it" theory of aging. The theory suggests that people who regularly master new skills are literally boosting their brainpower by adding more connections between brain cells.
"You're building a reserve of brain cells when you're active," says Marilyn Albert, a neurologist at Johns Hopkins University and a spokeswoman for the Alzheimer's Association.
Early research suggested that college-educated people had an extra reserve of brainpower and a potential hedge against Alzheimer's. Scientists such as Joe Verghese of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine wondered what everyday hobbies also might give the brain that edge.
A boost for the brain
Seniors who love to waltz will love the answer that Verghese came up with in his study published in June 2003 in The New England Journal of Medicine. Ballroom dancing protected against Alzheimer's, as did playing games such as chess or backgammon, reading books or playing a musical instrument.
The people in this study, seniors living in the Bronx, didn't play much golf or tennis, so the study didn't find a protective effect from physical activity. But a December study in Neurology did find that exercise such as walking, gardening and biking also offered an Alzheimer's shield.
Physical activity might help by triggering the production of brain cells, neurons that can take over for those damaged by age or by disease, says Hugh Hendrie of the Indiana University Center for Aging Research in Indianapolis.
Brain-boosting activities don't have to be extreme or extremely difficult: "You don't have to study a second language," Albert says; even bingo players get plenty of stimulation if they keep track of more than one card at a time. "That's challenging, even though it's a perfectly ordinary thing."
A study presented this summer in Philadelphia at the ninth International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders suggests that the best activities offer a combination of mental, social and physical elements. For example, ballroom dancing taps all three: Dancers have to learn complicated steps, they dance with a partner, and they get a workout, says Laura Fratiglioni of the Karolinska Institute.
Fratiglioni and colleague Anita Karp asked 776 healthy seniors what sorts of hobbies they had and then kept track of them for six years, noting the number who developed Alzheimer's. The team found that seniors who regularly participated in complex activities seemed less likely to develop dementia, including Alzheimer's. "They got a 40% to 50% reduction in the risk," Fratiglioni says.
Activities that appeared to offer the most protection in the study included gardening, taking classes, attending political events and going on regular trips to the museum or theater. Any activity done with other people might give seniors an added bonus.
Social activities might reduce the body's level of stress hormones, naturally produced chemicals that can damage brain cells. Research shows that people who are socially active have a lower risk of many chronic diseases, including Alzheimer's.
Little sense in waiting
Evidence suggests that a fun-packed schedule can help ward off Alzheimer's, but no proof exists. Only a large clinical study could offer that kind of connection.
"Should you wait for the studies? Probably not," Hendrie says. Many activities believed to ward off Alzheimer's might reduce the risk of heart disease, diabetes and other killers.
The best advice for Americans who want to maintain their mental edge could be to add a little more zest to life. Don't take up crossword puzzles if you hate doing them. Instead, add a small change to your life, such as a daily walk with a friend.
"We do chores all of our lives," Hendrie says. "There should come a time in life when you simply enjoy yourself."
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