Alzheimer’s cannot be cured, but French researchers have discovered a simple method to prevent the insidious disease. Important advantage: It also works at an advanced age.
While searching for a simple way to prevent Alzheimer’s, researchers from France made an eye-opening discovery. They let older, healthy adults either meditate or learn a new language for an extended period of time. In the subsequent cognitive tests, the meditation group performed significantly better. For the scientists, this is a clear indication that the age-old relaxation technique can significantly reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s and dementia.
What simple methods are there to prevent Alzheimer’s?
A healthy diet and sufficient exercise are important factors when it comes to preventing Alzheimer’s and dementia. However, you have to start at a young age. Doctors have therefore been recommending for a long time that people of advanced age should above all do mental work in order to reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s. French researchers wanted to get to the bottom of the question of whether learning a new language or meditating is superior in this regard. To do this, they recruited 137 men and women over the age of 65, all of whom were free of dementia. The results of the study were published in the journal Jama Neurology.1
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Structure and procedure of the study
The participants were divided into three groups. The first took an English course regularly for 18 months, the second meditated for 20 minutes a day, and the third, as a control group, continued to live as normal. Various cognitive tests including attention span, memory retention and emotional state were administered before and after the study period.
Major positive changes after 18 months meditating
In all tests, the meditators performed significantly better. “Meditation was superior to non-native language training,” quotes the science magazine “Study Finds” as the head of the study, Dr. Gael Chetelat from Caen-Normandy University.2 By this, the researcher means above all improved self-awareness, increased attention and more pronounced socio-emotional skills such as empathy and conflict resolution. The better these factors are developed, the less likely Alzheimer’s can develop. Interesting: The English course also provided some improvements, but these quickly decreased again. Meditation appears to maintain brain benefits, making it a simple yet effective way to prevent Alzheimer’s.
Also interesting: How long and how often should one meditate in order to achieve something?
How meditation keeps the brain healthy and happy
Previous research has shown that meditation helps improve focus, reduces stress and anxiety, and increases well-being. Practitioners also report that meditating has helped them quit smoking, cope better with cancer and other diseases. Therefore, according to researchers, meditation could also help to maintain healthy brain structure and function into old age – the prerequisite for a long life without Alzheimer’s. It is estimated that the number of dementia sufferers worldwide will triple to over 150 million by 2050. With no cure in sight, there is increasing focus on protective lifestyle factors. The more simple and inexpensive methods that can be found to prevent Alzheimer’s, the better the worrying trend can be averted.