Sit Ups, Push Ups, and … Knitting? Brain Exercises in Midlife May Prevent Memory Loss, Researchers Say

We all know that exercise can give us those six-pack abs, toned legs, and bulging biceps, but what about reading a magazine, playing a board game, or knitting a quilt?

There is new evidence to show that activities such as reading, playing games, and doing crafts lower the chances of suffering memory loss later in life by as much as one-third. And it’s not just for the young. People in their 70s and 80s may also benefit from playing computer games or doing other mind-testing activities which put our brains through the paces, said researchers from the Mayo Clinic.

By contrast, people who veg out and watch more than seven hours of television a day are more likely to suffer memory loss, the same study found. The new findings were presented this week at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology.

Activities That Rewire Your Brain

Doing puzzles, reading, and sewing are activities that challenge the mind and rewire the brain, researchers said. Over time, connections between brain cells can be broken, resulting in memory loss and other age-related problems. But by stimulating the brain, people can encourage those disconnected cells to reconnect, improving memory and delay memory loss, researchers said.

For the study, 197 people between the ages of 70 and 89 who had mild cognitive impairment or diagnosed memory loss were examined. Another 1,124 people in the same age range but without memory problems also were studied.

Researchers asked the participants questions about their habits now and when they were middle aged, between the ages of 50 and 65. They found that those who engaged in even novel activities such as reading or knitting suffered from less memory loss than others who did not engage in the same activities.

While researchers admitted that the research must be further examined and that more study is needed to confirm their findings, “it does suggest that cognitive exercise appears to protect against future memory loss.”

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