Until now, it was widely believed that our cognitive functions begin to decline once we attain the age of 60. However, a new study published in the British Medical Journal has found that the age of onset of decline in the cognitive functions is as early as 45 years. There is a gradual deterioration in the brain’s capacity for memory, comprehension skills, as well as reasoning from the time a person attains the age of 45.
The study, led by Dr. Archana Singh Manoux , from the Centre for Research in Epidemiology and Population Health in France and University College London in the UK, was carried on 5,198 men and 2, 192 women who were a part of the Whitehall II cohort study. The study was carried out over duration of 10 years beginning from 1997. The participants were subjected to various tests to assess their cognitive skills three times over the course of the study. Their memory, vocabulary and aural and visual skills were analyzed at different points of time. The study took into consideration various confounding factors like the education levels of the participants.
The researchers found that the cognitive functions begin to decline as early as by 45 years. However, the rate of decline is much faster as the age advances. At the end of 10 years of the study, it was observed that there was a decline in the cognitive functions by 3.6% in both men and women aged 45 to 49 years. Men, in the age group of 65 to 70 years showed a decline of 9.6% while the figure was 7.4% in women of the same age group.
According to the authors, the results of the study are important as the earlier a decline in cognitive functions is appreciated, the higher is the probability of some medical interventions to be successful to check this mental impairment. Moreover, these findings will provide a fresh impetus to doctors to push for a healthy lifestyle. It is well known that what is good for heart is also good for the brain. Therefore, eating healthy and exercising regularly will be beneficial for the heart and also help in delaying the onset of decline of the cognitive functions of the brain.
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