Defeating Dementia by Staying Mentally and Socially Active
Before we finish our journey, let’s look at additional things you can do to reduce your risk of Alzheimer’s. Staying mentally and socially active has many positive benefits for your brain in addition to adding fun to your years.
PET scans show that mental activities that stimulate the thinking process during midlife are associated with reduced beta-amyloid in the brain in late life. Examples include keeping up with current events, reading, playing games, and studying items that are of interest to you. Take a course at a local college. Take up a new hobby. Keep your brain working.
Scientists don’t know exactly how keeping your mind active protects you against beta-amyloid formation. One possibility makes sense but hasn’t been proven. Individuals who participate in a variety of mentally stimulating activities during their lives may develop a more proficient communication between neurons and synapses that results in less beta-amyloid deposition. It is called the “use it or lose it” concept or the “cognitive stimulation lifestyle.”
Social activity has also been shown to reduce the risk of dementia. In a study of 1,772 people who were over sixty-five, those who were the most active from a social aspect had a 38 percent lower risk of developing dementia than the individuals who did not participate in such activities. Examples of their activities included visiting with friends or entertaining in their homes. Some volunteered in their communities with clubs and church organizations. Others played games socially. Such reports encourage us all to stay socially active rather than becoming recluses.