‘Blue Zones’ |

Is Getting Older = Getting Smarter & Wiser?

Getting old? Cheer up! You are getting smarter! 😊

[Says a Recent Research Paper]

Times of India | Science Feature

#newspaperinlearning #ageing #geriatricstudies #literarygerontology

3rd Nov 2023

This article in today’s Times of India has some great news for the aged and the ageing beings as well!

On an aside, “Blue Zone” is a non-scientific term, given to geographic regions that are home to people who have a longer life expectancy. These blue zones are characterised by, lower rates of chronic diseases, regular routines, and healthier lifestyles.

Coming back –

The writer of this article observes -

Newish research says ageing brains may be sharper in certain aspects.

A youngster may have better memory, rattle off multiple 10-digit phone numbers, but oldies are usually better at difficult jobs, for example, navigating tricky situations or roads.

This, and much more, in a research paper published by Georgetown University Medical Centre in Washington in August 2021 adds substance to that old saw: older but wiser.

Published during the Covid pandemic, the paper studied over 700 people in the 58-90 age group and found that two key Brain functions, processing new information and focusing on what is important in a given situation, can improve in older individuals.

The study’s senior author Michael T Ullman, director of Georgetown’s Brain, and T Ullman, director of Georgetown’s Brain and Language Lab, told ToI over email -

The neurological function of ‘executive inhibition’, or

the ability to ‘inhibit distracting information’,

to focus on what is important, also improves with age.

Impact of this Important Study

His team believes the study could influence how ageing is viewed and improve management of patients with ageing disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease.

Ageing, or ways to check it with diet and lifestyle changes, has emerged as an interesting topic for medical research in recent years.

Blue Zones & Ageing

Information is being sought on ‘blue zones’, where people live longer than average, and various diets and exercises to control harmful inflammation processes within the body.

Three New Risk Factors

In August 2020, the Lancet Commission on dementia prevention added three new risk factors - excessive alcohol consumption, traumatic brain injury and air pollution - to the existing nine that include less education, hypertension, hearing impairment, smoking, obesity, depression, physical inactivity, diabetes and low social contact.

Bilingualism Delays Neuro Degeneration?

Closer home, a team from NIM-HANS (National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences), Bengaluru, led by neurologist Dr Suvarna Alladi found bilingualism could delay neuro degeneration.

The team found those who were bilingual developed dementia 4.5 years later than the monolingual ones (while many Indians speak more than one language, the technical definition of bilingualism underlines effective communication skills in two languages. Less than 2% of Indians qualify as bilingual as a result).

Well-laid-Out Routine Helps!

“As long as there is discipline or a well-laid-out routine, older individuals perform well.

But even a slight change in routine or changing homes or neighbourhoods could adversely affect the ageing brain”, she said.

Dire Need for Research on Ageing

The doctor who has studied the maximum number of brains in the country as the head of the country's oldest brain bank, Dr Anita Mahadevan from NIM-HANS, said there is a dire need for local research. He adds to say that –

Ageing: A Lifestyle Disorder: Western Data Cannot be Extrapolated to the Indian Subcontinent

All published literature is from the West. Given that ageing is a lifestyle disorder dictated by diet, nutrition, exercise and, of course, education, the patterns here are likely to be very different from what the West sees.

Western data cannot be extrapolated to the Indian subcontinent. We need to study what is happening in Indian brains with ageing and dementia, among other neurodegenerative diseases,

says the writer.

The article is quite interesting as it gives any many reasons to cheer – as regards the aged and the ageing beings as well! 😊