The Huffington Post

Grandparenting, Even Occasionally, Could Slow Brain Ageing

Not all of our dementia risk is in our control. But The Lancet’s standing commission on dementia previously found that 45% of factors that can increase our likelihood of developing the condition are “potentially modifiable”. This includes things like not smoking, exercising more often, and controlling high blood pressure. But these might not be the only ways to lower our risk of cognitive decline, sometimes seen as a precursor to dementia . According to research published in Psychology and Ageing , being an active grandparent might slow brain ageing. “Grandparents who provide care for their grandchildren tend to show better cognitive functioning than those who do not” This paper looked at 2,887 grandparents aged 50+ (their average age was 67) who took part in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. Researchers asked participants to fill in questionnaires and take cognitive tests three times in the period from 2016-2022. Questions centred on how active grandparents were in their grandchildren’s lives, including by watching them overnight, caring for them while ill, helping them with homework, playing with them, prepping meals for them, and more. Generally, grandparents who provided childcare for their children’s children had better memory and verbal fluency results than those who didn’t. This association stood regardless of how often they cared for the kids or the type of care. Grandmothers, but not grandfathers, who took care of their grandchildren saw less cognitive decline according to the study’s tests across the years than those who didn’t. The paper read, “Grandparents who provide care for their grandchildren tend to show better cognitive functioning than those who do not. For grandmothers, these benefits also result in a slower cognitive decline later on.” You don’t have to grandparent constantly to see benefits The study stressed that providing childcare for grandkids at all, regardless of hours spent doing so, was linked to a lower risk of cognitive decline. “What stood out most to us was that being a caregiving grandparent seemed to matter more for cognitive functioning than how often grandparents provided care or what exactly they did with their grandchildren,” study author and lead researcher Flavia Chereches told the American Psychological Association . “More research is needed to replicate these findings, yet, if there are benefits associated with caregiving for grandparents, they might not depend on how often care is provided, or on the specific activities done with grandchildren, but rather on the broader experience of being involved with caregiving.” Related... The Food Habits That Can Drastically Slow Down Brain Ageing A New Study Suggests The Real Reasons You Can’t Stop Snacking — It’s Not Just Willpower The Fruit Science Says Can Help Your Brain, Bones, Heart, And Gut