Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, afflicting approximately 5.3 million Americans, and causing the progressive destruction of brain cells and loss of function. Presently incurable, it is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States and is the focus of intensive research efforts (1).
One of the ways to ward off Alzheimer’s disease is to keep our minds active, by pursing new interests and learning new skills. Researchers at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio compared activity levels in normal subjects during the years from age 20 – 60 with those of people who had possible or probable Alzheimer’s disease (2). They found that people who devoted more time to intellectual pursuits during the period from early adulthood (ages 20-39) to middle adulthood (ages 40-60) had a significantly lower risk of getting Alzheimer’s disease. Also, individuals who were more physically active had a lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease but the difference was not as marked as that observed for intellectual activity (2). Research conducted at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota has shown that reading, playing games, working on the computer and engaging in craft activities such as knitting and making a patchwork quilt resulted in a 30 to 50 percent decrease in the risk of developing mild cognitive impairment. (3). Also, subjects who watched television for less than 7 hours a day were 50% less likely to develop memory loss than those who watched for longer. So, from the point of view of benefiting ourselves, it is much better to take classes and be proactive than to sit in front of a television, unless, of course, the program is intellectually stimulating.
References
1) The Alzheimer’s Association: What is Alzheimer’s? http://www.alz.org/alzheimers_disease_what_is_alzheimers.asp
2) Friedland, R. P. et al. (2001) Patients with Alzheimer’s Disease have Reduced Activities in Midlife compared with Healthy Control-Group Members. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 98, 3440-3445
3) Geda, Y. et al. (2009) Cognitive Activities Are Associated With Decreased Risk of Mild Cognitive Impairment: The Mayo Clinic Population-Based Study of Aging. The American Academy of Neurology. http://www.aan.com/press/index.cfm?fuseaction=release.view&release=695 http://www.alzinfo.org/newsarticle/templates/newstemplate-prevention.asp?articleid=346&zoneid=14
© Christopher J. Jones, M.Sc., Ph.D.
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