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.
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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.
didnt read coz too long, i LOVE mahjong !!!!!
hahahaha.....mus put this as compulsory activity for the LRJs.......
i think i muz start to play le.. hahaaa..
memories getting worst
hahaha.. organise it at ur house ok?
