VOA常速英语:研究表明，保持精神活跃可以降低老年痴呆的风险

Exercising, putting together puzzles, socializing,these are some of the things researchers are looking at as ways to keep older adults from developing dementia.
锻炼身体，玩拼图游戏，参加社交活动，这些都是研究人员正在观察的一些事情，目的是为防止老年人患上痴呆症寻找解决方法。

Some studies focus on exercise.Exercise improves blood flow in the brain, and keeps it functioning both physically and mentally.
一些研究聚焦于运动。运动可以改善大脑中的血液流动，并使身心得以协调运转。

Other studies focus on mental activity.Researchers at the Mayo Clinic looked at brain stimulating activities to see if it could help older adults lower the risk of developing even mild cognitive impairment.
其它研究则关注心理活动。梅奥诊所的研究人员对脑部刺激活动进行了观察研究，以确定这种活动是否可以帮助老年人降低罹患轻度认知损伤的风险。

Mild cognitive impairment, or MCI, doesn’t interfere with everyday life,but those who have it are at greater risk for developing Alzheimer’s.
轻度认知损伤（简称MCI）一般不会影响日常生活，但这类患者却更容易患上阿兹海默症。

“This study is very important because dementia, MCI, these conditions are really common as we get older.We need to find out non-pharmacological approaches to decrease the risk of MCI or dementia.”
“这项研究非常重要，因为在我们不断变老的过程中，像痴呆症和轻度认知损伤这些疾病都会十分常见。我们得寻找一些非药物途径，以降低轻度认知损伤和痴呆症的风险。”

Geda of the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona co-authored a study that included 2000 healthy adults, 70 and older,to see if playing games, crafting, using a computer and staying socially active could reduce the risk of mild cognitive impairment.
Geda目前任职于亚利桑那州斯科茨代尔的梅奥诊所，他曾与人共同开展了一项研究，研究对象是2000名70岁及以上的成年人，旨在观察是否玩游戏、做手工、使用电脑以及保持社交活跃可以降低轻度认知损伤的风险。

The researchers found that these activities even late in life helped stay off dementia, even in those who are genetically at risk.Only 15 percent of the participants developed mild cognitive impairment over an average of four years.
研究人员发现，即使是迟暮时再从事这些活动，也会有助于防止老年痴呆，就算是那些有遗传风险的人也不例外。只有15%的参与者在之后平均四年的时间里会患上轻度认知损伤。

The mental activity doesn’t have to be a chore, Geda said.Just exercising your brain two to three times a week could reduce cognitive decline.The study was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Geda称，脑力活动完全没有必要成为令人厌烦的任务。你只需每周锻炼大脑两到三次，就可以降低认知衰退的风险。该研究已经发表在《美国医学协会杂志》上。

Carol Pearson, VOA news, Washington.
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