the importance of education in protecting against cognitive dicline

 

Education may be the best way to protect against cognitive decline, new research suggests

But going to university in our 20s isn't the only way to maintain good memory, judgment, and focus.

A new study finds there are a few aspects that may increase the likelihood that people in their mid-50s will still be mentally sharp. Those certain factors include education, income, and job type.

 These factors could account for nearly 40% of the variations in the amount of cognitive ability people had lost by the age of 54, according to a research study that looked at data from more than 7,000 U.S. adults. Cognitive skills like memory, judgment, and focus were most affected by education, especially whether or not a person had completed college, Ohio State University researchers wrote in a scientific journal on Wednesday.

Based on a recent study, there are a few aspects that may contribute to the likelihood for individuals to continue being mentally sharp into their mid-50s. These specific factors include job type, income, and education.

According to a study that examined data from more than 7,000 U.S. adults, these factors may be responsible for close to 40% of the variations in how much cognitive ability people had lost by the age of 54. Researchers from Ohio State University found that education, particularly whether or not a person had completed college, had the greatest impact on cognitive abilities like memory, judgment, and focus.

Sociology professor and study co-author Hui Zheng theorizes that individuals who have college degrees are more likely to end up with jobs that demand them to use their brains, which could explain why they perform better cognitively in their 50s.

 He said, "You're lucky if you have a job that is mentally stimulating because you're using your brain all the time. "The better your job, the more mental challenges there really are."

To avoid cognitive decline before people reach their mid-50s, however, college education in our 20s is not the only choice. Previous research has shown that able to engage in cognition hobbies and interests, such as learning a new language, creating art, and writing, can also be protective.

 The influence of genetics, which could have a significant impact on cognitive function, wasn't really discussed in the study, despite the fact that the researchers looked at a wide range of factors that affect our brain health as we age.

Dr. Thomas Wisniewski, a neuropathologist and the director of the NYU Langone Alzheimer's Disease Research Center and its Center for Cognitive Neurology, mentioned that previous research has connected education, household wealth, and access to healthcare to the brain's resilience.

Even so, the new finding that factors that people can pretty much entirely control may contribute to as much as to 40% of the variations in the loss of cognitive abilities at age 54, self sufficient of genetics, is "good news," he said.

 The Ohio study found that factors associated with lifestyle, such as eating healthy foods, going cold turkey from tobacco use, and trying to engage in vigorous exercise, had little effect on the rate of cognitive decline after age 54. The study's non-participant Wisniewski isn't sure "there's nothing you can do about it," though.

 Based on his clinical experience along with other studies, "that is not true," he said.

Physical exercise and a balanced diet can be very beneficial for slowing cognitive decline, as per Wisniewski. Managing medical conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, obstructive sleep apnea, and cholesterol is also advantageous.

 He cites one of his recent papers that described two patients who had been diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment and who also had biological markers that suggested they would develop Alzheimer's disease as an example of the benefits of vigorous physical activity even in people in their 70s.

Once the patients retired or shrunk their working hours, they had more time for vigorous exercise. And both increased the amount of time they spent exercising. There were no clear signs of cognitive decline over the course of 15 years in one patient and 18 years in the other. In fact, one of the patients' brain performance slightly improved.

 so according to Wisniewski, "What's good for the heart is good for the brain."