London - Surfing the internet and sending emails can prevent memory loss in the elderly and may already be helping in the fight against dementia in Britain, say scientists.
An eight year study of almost 6 500 Britons aged from 50 to 90 found that the brains of those who regularly go online are declining more slowly than those who do not.
Even though they would benefit the most, the elderly are less likely to be connected online than any other age group.
The study was conducted by Brazilian researchers using the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing and published in the Journals of Gerontology. Over eight years, the mental abilities of the 6 442 people were measured alongside other factors that could affect their “cognitive decline” such as illness, wealth and education.
They were given recall tests on a series of words with different amounts of time in between being asked to remember them.
The researchers said that those who were current users of email and the internet were three percent better at recalling the words than non-internet users.
Digital literacy – defined as the ability to plan activities online – employs more of the brain’s cognitive networks, exercising the muscles in the brain to keep them healthy. It is estimated that 56 percent of Britons aged 65 to 74 have internet access. - Daily Mail