For white middle class, moderate drinking is linked to cognitive health in old age. Older adults who consume alcohol moderately on a regular basis are more likely to live to the age of 85 without dementia or other cognitive impairments than non-drinkers, according to a new study. Source 5b.
‘Highly fit’ middle-age women are nearly 90% less likely to develop dementia decades later, a new study finds. Researchers gave participants an initial exercise test in middle age then followed them for 44 years. Those who could ride an exercise bike at a fast rate for 6 minutes in the initial test had a much lower risk of dementia later on than those who couldn’t complete the workout. The study was published Wednesday in the journal ‘Neurology.’ Ref. USAToday.
Brain combats dementia by shifting resources. The brain continues to put up a fight even as neurodegenerative diseases like dementia damage certain areas and functions. In fact, recent findings in a Baycrest-University of Arizona study suggest that one method the brain uses to counter these diseases is the reassigning of tasks to different regions. Source 7t.