Elderly people who do this have the brain function of ten year old people

Looking for a way to stay mentally sharp with age? Here is a hint: riddles.

Indeed, two articles published Thursday in the International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry conclude that adults over the age of 50 who regularly do puzzles of words and numbers such as crosswords and Sudoku have better brain functions. And the more you do the riddles, the better your brain works.

"We recommend doing [puzzles] every day if they can, but the message is that every little [bit] help We have found the greatest impact in people who do puzzles more than once a day. "

The research, which examined more than 19,000 people, was conducted by researchers from Exeter University and King's College London. The researchers asked participants how often they did puzzles (response options were more than once a day, once a day, once a week, once a month, sometimes and never), and then they performed cognitive tests focused on attention, information processing, executive function, working memory and episodic memory.

"We found that the more people regularly engage in riddles such as crossword puzzles and Sudoku, the more their performance consisted of a series of tasks to assess memory, attention and reasoning," wrote the author. Principal Investigator Anne Corbett, Faculty of Medicine, Exeter Medical School. "The improvements are particularly evident in the speed and accuracy of their performance."

And the results have been particularly pronounced on grammar reasoning tests, where those who make riddles more than once a day have brain functions equivalent to those about 10 years younger, and are getting closer to those eight years younger on short-term memory tests.

So, how often should you puzzle? "We recommend doing them every day if you can, but the message is that every little [bit] help, "Corbett told Marketwatch. "We have found the most important impact in people who perform puzzles more than once a day."

Of course, this does not prove causation, but it is not the only research to show a relationship between engagement in riddles and mental games and mental acuity. Indeed, a 2011 study published in the Journal of the International Society of Neuropsychology concluded: "Participation in crossword puzzles delayed the onset of accelerated decline in memory in subjects with dementia. 2.54 years compared to non-puzzles. "

These are not the only ways to prevent cognitive decline as you get older. Eating well can also help: a study conducted earlier this year found that people who ate two or more servings of mushrooms a week could reduce their risk of cognitive decline by 50%. Other foods can help you stay alert: blueberries, fish and nuts.

And Harvard Medical School notes that there is also evidence suggesting that exercise, sleep, and regular social interaction can also be helpful.