Keeping active in old age key to beating dementia

Keeping your active both physically and mentally, can be key to beat dementia in old age, says a new study.

An active social life, volunteering, and being part of the community, gives older adults a sense of purpose in life, improving their health, the Daily Express reported.

Associate professor Dr Patricia Boyle at the Rush Alzheimer's Disease Centre in Chicago, said that positive psychological factors such as having a purpose in life, have been emerging as very potent determinants of health outcomes.

Dr Boyle's research looked at 453 people, average age 84, who had annual physical and psychological evaluations until they died at an average age of 90, and found that having a strong sense of what direction your life was headed in, made people less likelier to have brain damage due by blockages in blood flow, which when occurs, can trigger a stroke or damage to brain tissue.

Lead author Dr Lei Yu, said "Purpose in life differs for everyone and it is important to be thoughtful about what motivates you so you can engage in rewarding behaviours."

The study is published in the journal Stroke.