Never too late for play video games By Photographee.eu/stock.adobe.com
The relationship between our faith and bodies is complex. If it’s a subject that interests you, check out The Body Teaches the Soul by Justin Earley—I recently wrote a review of his excellent and practical book.
What is obvious, however, is that the brain’s degradation in the form of dementia represents a terrible affliction of the Fall. Most of us will know someone with dementia. My grandmother suffers from it.
While her joy miraculously shines through her struggles, it’s always encouraging to see new scientific research in prevention. And what helps prevent dementia will probably surprise you.
Can a video game protect against dementia?
A long-term study recently found that playing a specially designed video game may help protect against the degenerative brain disease. This is a major breakthrough in research, showing that cognitive training could create lasting shifts to strengthen the brain.
NBC News reports, “Participants who did up to 23 hours of a specific type of cognitive training called speed training over a three-year period were found to have a dramatic 25 percent lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia over a 20-year follow-up period.”
The study included nearly 3,000 participants ages 65 and older and was a randomized controlled trial, meaning it’s a quite robust study. The majority of subjects were women, as women are more likely to suffer from dementia. The researchers followed the participants for 20 years and discovered that participants who played a certain video game “twice per week for 60 to 75 minutes per session over five weeks” and who received additional training for up to 23 hours over three years achieved risk reduction.
In other words, in total, just around 30 hours of playing the game over three years could lead to the massive 25 percent risk reduction. For so little investment, the results are impressive.
There were three games: speed training, memory training, and reasoning training. Experts don’t know why, but only the speed training, called “Double Decision,” reduced the risk. You can play a free version here. They theorize that the game’s visual nature or the kind of learning involved might be the reason it was protective.
The benefits of caffeine and dementia
Another recently published study points to tea and coffee drinking as possible brain preservers. Those who drank the most caffeinated coffee had a lower risk of dementia after the long-term study ended.
Again, NBC News reports, “People who drank the most caffeinated coffee had an 18 percent lower risk compared with those who drank the least. Among tea drinkers, people who consumed the most had a 14 percent lower risk than those who consumed the least.” Of course, the lead study author writes, “Drinking coffee alone does not provide the magical effect that can prevent people from getting dementia.”
Scientists are, again, unsure why caffeinated drinks lead to a lower risk—some are even skeptical that it’s the caffeine itself that’s providing the protection. And adding sugar and milk might counteract some of the effects.
There are countless other lifestyle choices that lead to good brain health. Not smoking, aerobic exercise, lifelong learning, and getting good sleep are all fairly well attested as neuroprotective (i.e., increasing your brain’s resilience to disease).
The surprising power of spiritual disciplines
There’s a spiritual and eternal lesson to learn here.
Just a few dozen hours and simple lifestyle choices can make a world of difference in one’s physical health. And our bodies, mind, and spirit are all highly interconnected. Regular prayer and fasting have been shown to improve health in a myriad of ways.
For those in retirement (or not) looking to continue learning their whole life, consider joining Bible Project’s free graduate-level courses. I know I’ll be taking them when I have spare time!
Even doing spiritual disciplines in small, consistent ways can be sanctifying. In disciplines like fasting, even if done irregularly, we can find great sources of spiritual and mental strength. On any given day or season of life, certain spiritual disciplines may be more or less frequent. But don’t be discouraged by the mountain of disciplines you could be doing; just start somewhere.
Even small commitments and irregular acts of devotion can be used by God in mighty ways.
For more, see the multi-faceted resource from Denison Forum, “What does the Bible say about health?”
How can you start with embodied, spiritual practices today?
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