How Superagers Retain Their Wit, Memory? Rare Breed of Elderly Has Agile Bodies [Study]

(Photo: Pexels/Marcus Aurelius)
How Superagers Retain Their Wit, Memory? Rare Breed of Elderly Has Agile Bodies [Study]

Superagers are those with sharp minds despite their advanced years. According to a new study, among the probable reasons is their active lifestyle in their midlife.

Superagers: How They Keep Their Wit?

There are many potential causes, ranging from heredity to personality, why superagers remain smart at their age. One of the longest and largest studies of its kind, conducted in Spain, has identified a few other characteristics that may help explain how these so-called superagers maintain their wit and memory.

According to lead author Marta Garo-Pascual, a neuroscience graduate student at the Queen Sofia Foundation Alzheimer Centre in Madrid, they are closer to answering one of the biggest unanswered questions about superagers - whether they are truly resistant to age-related memory decline or they have coping mechanisms that help them overcome this decline better than their peers, ScienceAlert reported.

Superagers are an uncommon breed of elderly people at least 80 years old and whose memory is on par with those 20 to 30 years younger.

Garo-Pascual and colleagues compared the brain scans, mobility tests, clinical mental health assessments, lifestyle questionnaires, and blood samples of 64 superchargers and 55 usually healthy older persons, both groups having an average age of 82 years.

The findings imply that superagers' quick thoughts might have something to do with their agile bodies if their results indicate superagers in other nations.

Throughout six yearly visits, the researchers monitored the lifestyle parameters of study participants, conducted brain scans, collected blood samples, and put them through a battery of mobility tests. They then entered the data into a machine learning model that found super-agers-related factors.

According to prior research, MRI scans revealed that during the 5-year trial period, memory- and movement-related regions of superagers' brains shrank more slowly than those of their peers.

Superagers typically had better mental health, were more independent in their day-to-day living, were more active in midlife, and were content with their sleep in later life, probably due to their capacity to move, balance, and remember things.

In a "Timed Up and Go Test," superagers got out of a chair quicker and had higher fine motor abilities. However, there was no appreciable distinction between the general levels of activity reported by superagers and regular older pals. They said equal amounts of activity to ordinary older individuals, although they likely do more.

The study was published in The Lancet Healthy Longevity.

ALSO READ: Viral TikTok Trend Mouth Taping That Claims To Solve Bad Breath Makes No Sense, Dental Expert Says

How to Be Active at Midlife

According to Mo Hagan, a health and anti-aging expert based in London, Ontario, "movement and activity preserve youth." She added that physical activities are beneficial as they can keep a healthy cellular metabolism, slow aging, and protect you from obesity-related diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and more, Everyday Health reported.

Hagan suggested several things you can do midlife to maintain an active lifestyle. Among the things you can do is commit to a walking program and learn water aerobics and water walking.

You can also start boxing to manage weight and engage in strength training to maintain muscle and protect bones. You can do plank, pushups, hip bridges, or squats for strength training.

Yoga is also recommended as it helps you with strength and flexibility. Also, mindfulness during practice offers more significant benefits, especially for women in their 40s and 50s. According to Hagan, practicing yoga brings mindfulness daily.