New Study: Gardening Boosts Brain Function in Older Adults

Gardening at older ages may be good for the brain.Photo byImage by Richard Duijnstee from Pixabay

A new study finds that gardening in later life was associated with greater gain in cognitive change. Higher gardening frequency was associated with better cognitive functioning.

The study authors note that evidence of individual differences in the rate of cognitive ageing has led to research into factors that might reduce or delay cognitive decline in old age.

They note that attention has focused on modifiable lifestyle variables that might be beneficially related to cognitive function.

This study sought to examine whether gardening is associated with lifetime cognitive change from to age 79, as well as later life from age 79 to 90.

The results suggest that gardening may augment cognitive function in older adults. Gardening was found to boost cognitive level at age 79 but was not associated with differential cognitive change across the ninth decade according to the atudy authors.