Healthy Sex Life in Older Age Could Fight Off Dementia

In a fascinating research, a team from Coventry University in Britain discovered that people above the age of 50 and still active in the bedroom have sharper cognitive functions. To reach this conclusion, the team quizzed over 6,800 people from across England aged between the ages 50 and 89. The results suggest that cognitive functions may improve owing to the release of hormones such as dopamine and oxytocin while making love which are linked to feelings of reward, so promoting memory and learning, Daily Mail reported.

"The findings have implications for the promotion of sexual counselling in healthcare settings, where maintaining a healthy sex life in older age could be instrumental in improving cognitive function and well-being," the researchers said in a paper appeared in the journal Age And Ageing.

During the study, people were played a list of 10 words and then asked to recount them straight afterwards and again following a five-minute delay. The participants were also given a sequence of numbers with one missing and handed the task of completing the pattern.

Men who were sexually active scored higher by 23 percent on the word tests and 3 percent on the number puzzles, while women profited too by margins of 14 percent and 2 percent. Stronger performance persisted even when factors such as age, wealth and physical activity were taken into consideration.

"Sex is a key part of what it means to be human, whether as a young adult or someone of advancing years. It encourages them to be more positive about life and more likely to eat well and pursue other healthy activities like pilates or line-dancing," the report noted.

Source-IANS