The Malaysian Insider :: Features
The Malaysian Insider :: Features |
| Videogames slow, reverse ‘mental decay’, says study Posted: 02 May 2013 08:25 AM PDT  The University of Iowa study of hundreds of people age 50 and older found that those who played a videogame were able to improve a range of cognitive skills, and reverse up to seven years of age-related declines. WASHINGTON, May 2 — Playing videogames can prevent and even reverse deteriorating brain functions such as memory, reasoning and visual processing, according to a study released Wednesday. The University of Iowa study of hundreds of people age 50 and older found that those who played a videogame were able to improve a range of cognitive skills, and reverse up to seven years of age-related declines. "We know that we can stop this decline and actually restore cognitive processing speed to people," said Fredric Wolinsky, a University of Iowa professor of public health and lead author of the paper published in the journal PLOS One. "So, if we know that, shouldn't we be helping people? It's fairly easy, and older folks can go get the training game and play it." The study is the latest in a series of research projects examining why people, as they age, lose "executive function" of the brain, which is needed for memory, attention, perception and problem solving. Wolinsky and colleagues separated 681 generally healthy patients in Iowa into four groups. Each of those was split into segments with people 50 to 64 years of age and those over age 65. One group was given computerized crossword puzzles, while three other groups were asked to play a videogame called "Road Tour," which revolves around identifying a type of vehicle displayed fleetingly on a license plate. Participants were asked to re-identify the vehicle type and match it with a road sign displayed from a circular array of possibilities. The player must succeed at least three out of every four tries to advance to the next level, which speeds up the vehicle identification and adds more distractions. "The game starts off with an assessment to determine your current speed of processing. Whatever it is, the training can help you get about 70 per cent faster," Wolinsky said. The groups that played the game at least 10 hours, either at home or in a lab at the university, gained at least three years of cognitive improvement when tested after one year. A group that got four additional hours of training with the game did even better, improving their cognitive abilities by four years, according to the study. "We not only prevented the decline (in cognitive abilities), we actually sped them up," Wolinsky said. The key appeared to lie in improving the brain's processing speed, which can also widen one's field of view. "As we get older, our visual field collapses on us," Wolinsky explained. "We get tunnel vision. It's a normal functioning of aging. This helps to explain why most accidents happen at intersections because older folks are looking straight ahead and are less aware of peripherals." The study builds on research begun in the 1990s on efforts to improve memory, reasoning and visual processing speed. The researchers found those who played "Road Tour" scored far better than the crossword puzzle group in functions such as concentration, nimbleness with shifting from one mental task to another and the speed at which new information is processed. The improvement ranged from 1.5 years to nearly seven years in cognitive improvement, the study found. "It's the 'use it or lose it' phenomenon," Wolinsky said. "Age-related cognitive decline is real, it's happening and it starts earlier and then continues steadily. The good news is we can do something about it." — AFP-Relaxnews |
| Addicted to sugar? Most adults eat way too much, says study Posted: 02 May 2013 08:20 AM PDT  Most US adults get 13 per cent of their total calories from added sugars alone, a new report finds. — Picture by L. ShyamalNEW YORK, May 2 — A new report suggests that if you are like most adults, you're probably eating, or drinking, too many "added sugars" in the form of sugar, honey, maple syrup, and high fructose corn syrup. Researchers at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics examined survey data from thousands of American adults, finding that most people get a whopping 13 per cent of their total calories from added sugars alone. Not only does that add a lot of extra calories which contribute to making us fat, sugary items often displace healthier items, such as fruits, vegetables, and foods packed with nutrients. The data also showed that men consume more sugar per day than women — men take in an average of 335 calories from sugar; women, 239 calories. Also adults tend to eat the most sugar in their 20s and 30s, with the consumption dropping steadily over time. For example, men between 20 and 39 years old consumed 397 calories of added sugar per day, on average, while men in their 40s and 50s consumed an average of 338 such calories per day. The report adds that sugar-sweetened soda is the single biggest source of added sugars in the American diet, yet these beverages overall accounted for only one-third of added sugars consumed by adults, compared with two-thirds from food. Also, when it comes to added sugars, we tend to eat and drink them mostly at home, the study showed — 67 per cent of added sugars from food were eaten at home, along with 58 per cent of added sugars from drinks. — AFP-Relaxnews |
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