Good Lifestyle

Many people get very difficult to protect their cardiovascular health as they age, generally by adopting a healthier diet or incorporate a regular exercise routine. But with regard to our cognitive health, it is generally not as simple. Sometimes we can look like supplements And "mental training" are the only options available. However, scientists now say that focusing on a lifestyle change that favors your overall well-being can be an effective way to help protect your memory as you age.

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A recent study studied the relationship between well-being and memory.

The latest results come from a study published in the journal Aging and mental health . An international team of researchers in the United States, the United Kingdom and Spain has examined data from 10,760 men and women aged 50 and over in Britain who had not yet received a diagnosis of cognitive decline or dementia.

Each participant has self-commissioned nine times compared to their well-being and memory as part of the English longitudinal study of aging. Each report was separated by two years, during a 16 -year period From 2002, according to a press release.

To assess their memory, the researchers asked each participant to list 10 words which were given to them after a short delay. They also fulfilled a questionnaire on the quality of life of nine elements in which the participants classified the answers to questions such as "I can do the things I want to do" and "I think life is full of opportunities". In the end, they covered areas, including pleasure, control, autonomy and self -realization.

To specify what they evaluated, the team said that well-being was defined as "a multiple facets construction which includes an emotional health combination (for example happiness, confidence) and effective functioning (for example, life control, the sense of the goal)."

Happy people had improved cognitive health.

After analyzing the data, the results showed that participants who reported better mental well-being also performed better at their memory tests. The authors clarified that this was particularly true when they adjusted the results to take into account clinical depression.

Researchers also stressed that there was a probable link between other physical health problems, such as cardiovascular disease, and the physical capacities of a person who took place in the relationship between well-being and memory.

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So what does that mean?

In the end, the team concluded that the results suggest emphasis on general well -being, including both the physical and mental elements that determine it - could be an effective way to help fight cognitive decline in the elderly.

"In the context of an aging population, the factors of understanding that can protect and maintain a healthy cognitive function are essential for improving the health of the population and the development of health policies", " Amber John , PHD, main author of the study and lecturer in psychology at the University of Liverpool and a current Alzheimer Research scholarship holder in the United Kingdom, in a press release.

She added that although there is no conclusive evidence to determine whether memory problems lead to a drop in well-being or vice versa, their results always suggest that focusing on the first could improve the second.

"This suggests that the link between well-being and memory is not only because people with a bad memory have a bad well-being, and that if causality is demonstrated, improving well-being could protect against the decline of subsequent memory," added John.

The team hopes that new research will be based on their results.

The team was quick to highlight several limits to the study. In addition to the fact that the data was self -deprecated, it also suffered from a decrease in participants during the 16 -year follow -up period. However, the team concluded that a drop in psychological well-being could be useful to predict a drop in cognitive function.

"This study revealed that people over 50 who declared felt happier and more fulfilled in life had a better memory over time", " Emma Taylor, The information manager at Alzheimer's Research U.K., who financed the study, in a press release. "However, this research is observational - and additional work is necessary to understand how positive well -being and memory are connected and if it has a training effect on the risk of dementia."

"Taking care of our mental well-being plays an important role in our overall health. And it is never too late to start taking measures to keep our brain healthy throughout our lives and reduce the devastating impact of dementia," she said.

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The point to take away:

A group of researchers used data of more than 10,000 people to determine if there was a link between well-being and cognitive decline. Using a questionnaire and a simple memory test over a 16-year-old follow-up period, the researchers found that participants who declared high well-being were also more likely to have a stronger memory.

The team concluded that even if additional research was necessary, focus on physical well-being and maintaining a positive mental perspective could help avoid cognitive decline. A drop in well-being could also help predict a drop in cognitive health.

“This study represents an important step towards understanding the interaction between well-being and memory over time. It offers new information on how self-evaluated well-being is associated with memory and vice versa "," Joshua Stott , PHD, one of the co-authors of the study and professor of aging and clinical psychology at the University College of London (UCL), said in the press release. "Although our results are preliminary, they highlight the importance of considering psychosocial influences on brain health, such as memory."