Regular mahjong games and watching game shows keep the
brain active, say NUS dons, ahead of anti-ageing meeting here in
June
By Salma Khalik
PLAYING mahjong regularly is a good way to keep dementia at bay.
Another way is to keep cholesterol levels low.
Two professors at the National University of Singapore gave this
advice separately as Singapore prepares to play host to an
anti-ageing meeting in June.
By playing mahjong once or twice a week, or trying to outdo
contestants in game shows, the elderly are forced to think and
analyse, said Associate Professor Tang Bor Luen of the National
University of Singapore's (NUS) Institute of Molecular and Cell
Biology. Such activities keep the neurons in their brains alive, he
said, adding that physical activity also helps.
Of old-age illnesses, dementia is one of the most debilitating,
causing such severe memory loss that some elderly people even
forget how to bathe and need constant care. p> In the United
States, about 3 per cent of seniors over the age of 70 have
dementia. In Singapore, it's about half that, though doctors think
it may be because fewer people seek help.
Professor Barry Halliwell, who heads NUS' biochemistry department,
said recent studies showed a strong link between dementia and LDL,
or bad cholesterol, which clogs arteries and reduces blood flow to
the brain.
So, using statins, which lower LDL levels, could help the elderly
retain their memories.
The ageing brain will be one of the main topic areas at the Third
Asia-Pacific Anti-Ageing Conference and Exhibition. Prof Halliwell
chairs the organising committee and Prof Tang is also on the
committee.
Prof Halliwell expects the four-day event to draw 700 par ticipants
from the region.
Global interest in tackling age-related illnesses is growing, as
the proportion of those in their 60s and above is set to leap from
one in 10 today, to an estimated one in three by 2050.
Singapore's population is ageing faster than most countries, and
the elderly account for one in four public hospital patients.
More needs to be spent on prevention than treatment, said Prof
Halliwell. Uncontrolled diabetes is one of the most costly diseases
as it can lead to amputation, loss of eyesight and kidney
failure.
He suggested health screening for everyone from the age of 30 for
diabetes and high cholesterol levels.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FINDINGS
MANY exciting new discoveries will be revealed at the four-day
conference.
One is a French study of 35- to 60-year-olds which found that
taking multivitamins daily cut cancer cases by 31 per cent and
deaths by 37 per cent among the 5,000 men, but none of the 8,000
women benefited at all in the study.
It could be that the women were already more conscious of what they
ate and were getting enough nutrients, said Prof Barry
Halliwell.
