You may wonder whether your brain stays sharp into your 90s or not. If so, then you may be happy to know that staying mentally sharp and avoiding dementia appears to be a combination of genetic luck and a healthy fulfilling lifestyle. Here is a brief explanation of this statement.
Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia are common in senior citizens. However, some people stay sharp into their 90s. Researchers wanted to explore the factors that help those people to remain sharp at their older age. That’s why researchers follow 100 selected healthy people for 14 years and found that feeling of life satisfaction may help them to keep their brains sharp. It is assumed that carrying on working past age is an important factor to determine people’s brain sharpness, especially in their older age.
The research found that a combination of genetic luck and a healthy, fulfilling lifestyle can help people to stay sharp into their 90s. Researchers also found that those people stay sharp in their 90s with their brain harbors amyloid protein plaques which is a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease.
The lead researcher Beth Snitz, an associate professor of neurology at the University of Pittsburgh said, “The vast majority of research studies on aging and Alzheimer’s disease try to understand what factors predict disease and memory impairment. We turned these questions upside-down, asking ‘What seems to protect us from disease and impairment in our 90s?'” Snitz continued, “Understanding this kind of resilience may well help identify ways to prevent dementia.”
So we should lead a healthy fulfilling lifestyle that can help us to maintain good cognitive health.