Age-Proof Your Brain with Tony Buzan

Here is an interesting article from bbc news...

For middle-aged and older people at least, using the internet helps boost brain power.

A University of California Los Angeles team found searching the
web stimulated centres in the brain that controlled decision-making and
complex reasoning.

The researchers say this might even help to counteract the age-related physiological changes that cause the brain to slow down.

The study features in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry.

Here are some interesting concepts/extracts from press release by the Fisher Center for Alzheimer's Research Foundation
One piece of excellent news in the past year was that brain health seems to be improving among older Americans.

A large national survey from the University of Michigan found that over a 10-year-period ending in 2002, memory loss and thinking problems were down significantly among seniors aged 70 and up, from 12.2 percent to 8.7 percent.

Researchers aren’t sure why the decrease in cognitive impairment is occurring, but they suspect that a better educated and more affluent older generation that is less likely to smoke and more likely to eat better and get regular exercise may be helping to keep the brain young..

1. Stay Mentally Challenged. Seniors who engage in reading books or newspapers, doing crossword puzzles and word or card games, or who attend adult education classes may be more likely to ward off Alzheimer’s as they age.

2. Practice Good Waist Management. Having a thick middle in the middle years increases the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, a study of more than 6,500 adults from Northern California found. Belly fat, in particular, may be bad for the brain.

3. Work It. Another study, from Duke University, found that having a job that challenges the intellect may help to keep the mind sharp into old age. And the more complex the job, the better memory and thinking skills held up after retirement.