Can a Healthy Lifestyle Improve Cognition in the Elderly?

It’s well known that aging is correlated with cognitive decline. Unfortunately, few if any treatments have been shown to positively impact cognition in the elderly. A study recently published in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, however, suggests that following a regimen including healthy diet, relaxation, and cardiovascular and mental exercise can improve performance on certain cognitive measures and improve cerebral metabolism. The researchers subjected two groups—one following the regimen, the other a control group—to a battery of cognitive tests, as well as PET scans. Those in the healthy lifestyle group showed increased word fluency and borderline significant memory improvement over the controls. http://ajgponline.org/cgi/content/abstract/14/6/538