Aging is often portrayed as a steady decline, but new research suggests that many older people actually improve over time.
Using over 10 years of data from large, representative studies, older americansResearchers at Yale University found that nearly half of adults over age 65 showed improvement in cognitive function, physical function, or both.
The improvements were consistent across the study population and correlated with participants’ attitudes about aging, according to a press release.
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“Contrary to prevailing beliefs and stereotypes that age is a period of continuous and inevitable decline, we found evidence that a significant number of older adults actually show improvements in cognitive and cognitive function over a 12-year period. physical health,” lead author Becca Levy, a professor of social and behavioral sciences at Yale University, told FOX News Digital.
The study, published in the journal Geriatrics, was based on data from the Health and Retirement Study, a long-term, federally supported survey of older Americans.
Researchers track cognitive changes using global performance tests, bodily functions Gait speed was considered a “vital sign” because of its strong association with disability, hospitalization, and mortality.
Over 12 years, 45% of participants improved mentally or physically. About 32% showed improved cognitive abilities and 28% improved physically, according to the study.
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“If you average everyone out, you see a decline,” Levy said. “But looking at individual trajectories reveals a very different story. A significant proportion of older participants… got better.”
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Participants’ beliefs about aging seemed to influence outcomes as those with more beliefs had more beliefs. positive age beliefs They were significantly more likely to show improvement in both cognition and walking speed.
This was true even after accounting for factors such as age, gender, education, chronic disease, depression, and length of follow-up. Improvements were seen not only among participants in recovery, but also among participants who started at a “normal” level of functioning. injury or illness.
“People who have more positive beliefs about age tend to have lower stress responses and lower stress biomarkers,” Levy said. She pointed out that beliefs about age are modifiable and could be improved in the future.
The researchers acknowledged that the study had some limitations. It did not take into account how muscles and brain cells change and adapt, which may help explain why people improved.
Future research should investigate patterns of improvement in other types of cognition, such as spatial memory, they added.
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“Furthermore, although our participants were drawn from a nationally representative sample, it would be useful to examine patterns of improvement in additional cohorts with greater representation of different ethnic minority groups,” the researchers note in the study.
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The authors said they hope their findings will debunk the myth that continued physical and cognitive decline is inevitable.
“We found evidence that there may be psychological, behavioral and physiological pathways. [by which age beliefs impact health]”It’s common and we should include it in our understanding,” Levy said. aging process. ”
