To reduce dementia risk, seniors should take up this outdoor activity, study suggests

Gardening could help aging adults stay sharp later in life, according to a recent study published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology.

Researchers at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland found that tending to gardens at an older age is associated with “small but detectable cognitive benefits.”

The long-term study tracked participants who shared details of their lifestyles and completed “frequent assessments” of their thinking skills up to age 90.

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The “Lothian Birth Cohort 1921” study followed people who were born in the Edinburgh area, starting at age 11. The participants regularly took an intelligence test known as the Scottish Mental Survey of 1932. 

Hundreds of participants sat for the same exam at age 79.

Out of 467 participants, 31% had never gardened, while 43% gardened regularly.

The results revealed that the 280 who gardened frequently or occasionally showed “greater lifetime improvement in cognitive ability compared with those who never gardened or rarely did so.”

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Between the ages of 79 and 90, the participants’ cognitive ability — including memory, problem-solving and word fluency — declined in general, but the researchers found that the “earlier advantage of gardeners endured.”

Study co-author Dr. Janie Corley wrote in a press release how identifying behaviors that “facilitate healthy cognitive aging are of major public interest for the prevention of cognitive decline and dementia.”

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“Gardening is a key leisure activity in late adulthood,” she said. “Engaging in gardening projects, learning about plants and general garden upkeep involve complex cognitive processes, such as memory and executive function.” 

She continued, “Consistent with the ‘use it or lose it’ framework of cognitive function, more engagement in gardening may be directly associated with a lower risk of cognitive decline.”

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Dr. Azza Halim, MD, an anti-aging specialist, noted that gardening has been studied as an anti-aging activity for seniors, providing physical, mental and emotional benefits, including for longevity and cognition.

Gardening also counts as “low-impact exercise” that is beneficial for cardiac health and circulation, the physician added.

“It provides mental stimulation to reduce cognitive decline, as well as fostering mental and emotional well-being, relaxation and decreased anxiety,” she said.