The simple way to ward off cognitive decline and keep brain young in old age

In: Science

Regularly engaging in diverse social activities and sports can slow the brain’s ageing and boost cognitive performance, according to a large new study.

Activities like volunteering and participating in sports clubs seem particularly effective at keeping the mind sharp, researchers, including from Guangdong Medical University in China, say.

Previous research shows social activities are linked to cognitive function and dementia, but the specific ways in which they are related is not well understood.

Most previous studies show a mixed relationship between the three due to small sample sizes, limited geographic diversity, and differences in the definitions and measurements used for social activity and cognitive outcomes.

Dementia, which is preceded by cognitive impairment, is estimated to affect some 153 million people by 2050.

An elderly woman plays a shot during a cricket and physical training session in Jinja
An elderly woman plays a shot during a cricket and physical training session in Jinja (AFP via Getty Images)

The latest study draws on pooled long-term data from five representative surveys done in the US, UK, Europe, China, and Mexico covering some 60,000 people in 24 countries. Each of the surveys captures data about the type and number of social activities participants engage in and assesses their cognitive performance at each wave.

From this data, researchers calculated the cognitive function scores of 57,793 participants who were followed for an average of six years.

The analysis showed that people who engaged in social activities had significantly higher scores than those who didn’t, with scores rising in tandem with the number of social activities. Engaging in at least three activities seemed to afford the greatest level of protection against impairments in memory and executive function.

Activities such as volunteering and participating in sports clubs were associated with a lower risk of cognitive decline across the participants.

Attending training courses and taking care of children were also linked to significantly higher cognitive scores.

However, active involvement in political, community, church, and religious groups wasn’t consistently linked to cognitive enhancement.

Volunteers sweep off muddy water from the street following torrential rains in Pineda de Mar, north of Barcelona, Spain
Volunteers sweep off muddy water from the street following torrential rains in Pineda de Mar, north of Barcelona, Spain (AFP via Getty)

The healthy relationship between social activities and brain function was stronger in women as well as in people over 60, those with higher levels of education, those who lived alone, those of normal weight, and those living in rural areas.

Researchers, however, caution that since the study is observational, it can’t establish a cause and effect.

It remains unclear exactly how engaging in social activities guards against cognitive decline but researchers offer a “use it or lose it” hypothesis, which proposes that sustained engagement in cognitively stimulating activities can strengthen and help form new nerve connections.

“Collectively, these findings suggest that social activities may operate as a multidimensional protective factor against cognitive deterioration in older adults,” the study noted.