Researchers find 2 factors that keep people healthy and mentally fit into old age

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The older we get, the more memory capacity decreases. It’s natural. One exception is a small group: the super-agers. Despite being over 80 years old, they are mentally fitter than normal 50 or 60 year olds. Sounds like an old age dream come true. But how do they do it? Researchers led by Marta Garo-Pascual from the Queen Sofia Foundation’s Alzheimer’s Center in Madrid investigated this in a long-term study.

This is how the super agers were identified

First, super agers had to be identified. To do this, the researchers used a cohort of older people who are taking part in a study to identify early indicators of Alzheimer’s.

Of 540 seniors, 64 could be identified as super-agers. On a memory test, they did at least as well as people who were 30 years younger and had the same level of education. 55 “normal” seniors whose performance corresponded to their age and level of education were selected as a control group. All were over 79 years old.

For the study, they were followed up for five years. Once a year there was a check with MRI examination, clinical tests, blood tests and documentation of lifestyle factors.

MRI shows super-agers have more gray matter in their brains

The researchers were already able to identify a difference in the first MRI scans. On average, super-agers had more gray matter in the brain, particularly in brain regions responsible for memory (medial temporal lobe, cholinergic forebrain), but also in regions involved in movement (motor thalamus). The gray matter is made up of billions of nerve cells (neurons), which indicates better brain performance.

In the MRT examinations of the following years, too, the volume of the gray matter in these regions in super-agers decreased more slowly than in the control group.

This finding is the most crucial for Alessandro Cellerino from the Leibniz Institute for Research on Aging – Fritz Lipmann Institute (FLI) in Jena. “We already knew before this study that superagers show less atrophy (= tissue wasting) in some brain regions, but this was always based on a single measurement,” he told MedScape.

Super-agers perform better in two areas in particular

In addition, various factors were identified that differentiated super-agers from the control group. The researchers led by Garo-Pascual used an algorithm based on machine learning. Of 89 different demographic, lifestyle, or clinical factors that went into the algorithm, two were particularly strong:

Mobility/motor skills
mental health

The super-agers performed significantly better in tests for mobility and motor skills (“up-and-go” test, “finger tapping” test). Interestingly, the benefit existed even though they were no more physically active than the control group.

However, a closer look at the study shows that super-agers were more active in mid-life, i.e. at 40, 50 and 60 years of age. The foundation stone for later mobility is laid earlier. “It’s very important to try to stay physically fit, even if it’s just walking or climbing the stairs,” Cellerino said.

The super-agers also performed better than the control group in surveys and tests (“State-Trait Anxiety Inventory”, “Geriatric Depression Scale”) on mental health: they had less depression and anxiety. “Previous studies suggest that depression and anxiety disorders can affect memory test performance in people of all ages — and that they are risk factors for developing dementia,” Cellerino said. In order to prevent psychological problems in old age, cellerino, a geriatric researcher, advises staying socially connected and involved. “Depression and anxiety are often the consequence of social isolation,” he emphasizes.

A difference was also noticeable in these areas

In addition, other variables were identified that “could optimize memory function up to the ninth decade of life,” the researchers write.

So were superagers

more interested in music (active and passive) had one better reading skills ,
complain less about lack of sleep (although they averaged the same amount of sleep as the control group). a more active lifestyle in midlife and
less common a high blood sugar or high blood pressure .

Interestingly, super-agers also lived more often separated or divorced This is in contrast to previous studies with super-agers. The researchers attribute this to the cultural differences of the respective study subjects.

Important: This is what is known as an observational study. The researchers themselves write that “therefore no causal connection between the factors reported here and super-agers can be concluded”. The algorithm used was only able to distinguish super-agers from the control group in 66 percent. This suggests that there are other factors and differences, possibly genetic.

Expert Cellerino sums it up: “We don’t really learn more from the study for senior management than what we already knew. But it affirms that physical and psychological functioning are closely linked and that we must maintain both in order to age healthily.”

Seven tips for healthy aging

How can we age healthily? Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing are also dealing with this question. One of them is the physician Joachim Steiner. He is researching a marker in the blood that determines our biological age.

In an interview with FOCUS online, he mentioned the “classics” as tips for healthy aging, which are also regularly mentioned for the prevention of diseases such as cancer:

Sufficient exercise Balanced diet Brain training Social contacts No smoking Little alcohol Little direct UV radiation

Click here for the article: “Could still be 65 at 80” – Doctors are researching markers in the blood that determine our biological age