Study Finds That Meditation Can Help In Keeping The Mind Young; Can Keep Off Alzheimer's

A new study by researchers at the University of California found that meditation could help in keeping the mind young. It was also found to keep off Alzheimer's disease as well as helped in boosting the grey matter in the brains. The study was published in Frontiers in Psychology, a journal that publishes articles across the research spectrum of psychology.

According to the express.co.uk, scientists believe that meditation could be a tool for combating the rate of mental illness in those who are ageing. They said that from as early as mid-20s, people could start losing out on some functional abilities, but it was found that it was slowed down because of contemplation.

Dr Florian Kurth is the lead author of the study as well as postdoctoral fellow from the Brain Mapping Center at the University of California, Los Angeles. He said that his team was amazed by the difference in the volume of the brain in participants who had been meditating for years when compared to those who had not. They were surprised that they found this effect throughout the whole brain.

He explained that they expected to see small and distinct effects in a few of the regions that had been associated with meditating. He continued that in some regions of the brain, there was less matter and that was associated with less cognitive functions. He said that meditation could minimise the risks of neuro-degenerative disease that usually happens in those living longer.

Kurth theorised that for meditation to protect the brain would be a subject for further study and might be a two-pronged approach. He explained that first, meditation reduced stress and protected the brain, and second, it helped in building up a few parts of the brain.

Dr Kurth said that it was like body building. He said that it might be that a few of the regions in the brain grew bigger and that made a difference.