Doing puzzles may reduce age-related cognitive decline, study shows
27.10.2026
Puzzles may reduce memory and thinking problems linked to aging, experts have suggested.
Memory, logic and reasoning puzzles, with advice on diet and exercise, can help reduce levels of age-related cognitive decline, researchers found.
Academics said that people should not assume that age-related thinking and memory problems are “fixed”, adding: “There are quite a lot of simple things that you can do yourself, get up and do them.”
They said that brain training and advice about diet and exercise “are not expensive” for health care systems but can lead to significant benefits, even among those with more severe forms of cognitive impairment.
The study, published in September in the journal Lancet Primary Care, examined data on 11,563 people registered with GP surgeries in England, Scotland and Wales.
People aged 60 to 85 with low cognitive scores suggestive of age-related cognitive decline were invited to take part in the study.
They were split into three groups. One group was given evidence-based advice for cognitive health including advice on diet, exercise and brain stimulating activities.
The second was pointed to a website called Active Brains, which promotes physical activity, taking on a Mediterranean-style diet and provides cognitive exercises in the form of puzzles.
The third group were directed to the same website and also given “brief support” which compromised three email or telephone sessions with a nurse.
After 12 months all groups showed improvement in their cognitive scores and a significant proportion no longer met the criteria for age-related cognitive decline.
Some 28.4% of people who were given simple lifestyle advice were no longer deemed to have age-related cognitive decline, this increased to 32.8% of those directed to the website and 31.6% of those directed to the website and given additional support.
Cognitive scores were higher among the groups directed to use the website.
Researchers, led by academics at the University of Southampton, found that there was an 8% reduction in mild cognitive impairment among those directed to the website, compared to those simply given advice.
Among those directed to the website and given additional support, there was an 18% reduction in severe cognitive impairment compared to those who were just given advice, researchers found.
Paul Little, professor of primary care research at the UK's University of Southampton and study co-lead, said that the support was not “highly technical.”
Most of the people involved in the study already had good diets and exercised regularly, indicating that the benefits were largely from puzzles, the researchers said.
"There are two positive messages: One, actually, there are quite a lot of simple things that you can do yourself. Get up and do them," Little told PA.
"The brain is plastic. Don’t assume it’s fixed. You can do something about it, and off you go. Do something about it."
He said said the research team was “surprised” at the improvement seen among people who were only given evidence-based advice, adding: “Their cognition had improved with basically testing, asking about brain-stimulating activities, and some brief evidence-based advice about diet, exercise, and stimulating your brain.
"And with that, nearly 30% of people had improved… that was really startling, we weren’t expecting that."
He added: "These are really exciting findings that people can easily take on board. Simple messages and simple things that people can do really make a difference. It’s an important health message. The brain remains plastic and malleable – so it can learn new things – well into older age, so you can really make a difference and combat cognitive decline."
Commenting on the study, Dr Honorine Lebraud, senior partnerships manager at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: “This is an encouraging study, suggesting that lifestyle changes can support cognitive health, even after symptoms have emerged.
The findings add to growing evidence that lifestyle and behavioural factors play an important role in long-term brain health, Lebraud said.
"Research suggests that learning new skills and social activities can help build a cognitive reserve, which has the potential to delay Alzheimer’s symptoms by several years."
Dr Richard Oakley, associate director of research and innovation at the Alzheimer’s Society, said people should not take this study to mean that doing puzzles can reverse dementia or improve symptoms for everyone living with memory problems.
"These findings are encouraging because the activities tested did not require lots of support from healthcare practitioners and could be relatively easy for health services to deliver at scale," he said.
"However, the study involved people with early memory and thinking problems rather than a confirmed diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment or dementia, so it is unclear whether the same benefits would be seen in people living with these conditions or will last over time," Oakley said.
"There is no single activity that can prevent dementia, but evidence shows that staying mentally active, exercising regularly and managing conditions such as high blood pressure can all support brain health and reduce your risk."
No comments:
Post a Comment