 Alzheimer's and other kinds of dementia are extremely common--about a third of all adults over the age of 85 will have to deal with these maladies. However, doctors have known that older adults who use their brains more actively are less likely to fall victim to dementia. Now there is even more information available on this phenomenon.
A new study that followed over 3000 adults for more than 25 years found that people who watched, on average, more than three hours of TV a day had had 64% greater odds of scoring poorly on the cognitive tests compared to those who spent less time channel surfing. The odds of performing poorly on the cognitive tests was even higher for those avid TV watchers when they were sedentary the rest of the day.
Don't worry if you spent your younger years glued to the television, though. The same research found that by being socially active, exercising more and challenging your brain more often as you grow older can mitigate the damage.
So, the moral of the story is: Turn the TV off, take a walk, play a game, and build up your brain power rather than engaging in passive activities that just deplete you in more ways than one.
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