Official News page 9

REAL LIFE NEWS: SEE, I TOLD YOU READING IS GOOD FOR YOU

by Hazed

I feel vindicated.

As a child, my parents considered that if I was reading, I wasn't doing anything important, and so was available to do chores. As an adult, people consider me decidedly odd because I always have my nose in a book. But now new research shows that reading can delay the onset of dementia. Actually, the news is that many hobbies, such as knitting or quilting or even playing computer games have the same effect - but reading a book is definitely mentioned.

So take that, illiterates!

Not all pastimes count. Watching TV, in fact, has the opposite effect - it may speed up memory loss.

In a study, nearly 200 people aged 70 to 89 with mild memory problems were compared with a group that had no impairment, They were asked about their daily activities within the past year, and how mentally active they had been between the age of 50 to 65.

The ones who had spent their middle ages reading, playing games or engaging in arts and crafts were found to have a 40% reduced risk of memory impairment. What's more, keeping those activities up in later life reduced the risk by 30 and 50%.

So I shall keep on reading, and if anyone accuses me of wasting time, I shall tell them I am doing it for my health.

Fed2 Star index Previous issues Fed 2 home page