Scientists have unveiled the strongest evidence yet that a combination of diet, exercise and brain training can improve thinking and memory in older Americans.
A study of more than 2,100 sedentary people in their 60s and 70s found that those who spent two years on the intensive regimen not only improved their mental abilities but appeared to reduce the usual declines associated with aging.
“These people are obtaining cognitive function scores that are similar to people [like them who are] one to two years younger than they are,” says Laura Baker, one of the study’s principal investigators and a professor of gerontology and geriatrics at Wake Forest University School of Medicine.
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The results are consistent with earlier findings from a smaller Finnish study, which involved a less diverse population. They are also consistent with decades of research suggesting that single interventions, like exercise, could reduce brain and cognitive changes associated with aging.
