The nutritional benefits could be an effective way to slow age-related cognitive decline, according to a new study. (Alex Segre, Alamy)
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WASHINGTON — Nutritional benefits may be an effective way to slow age-related cognitive decline, according to a new study.
The study, published Wednesday in the journal Neurologyfound that eligible seniors who used the Supplemental Nutrition Assistant Program, the government program that offers benefits to cover food purchases for people in need, had about two fewer years of memory decline over a decade-long period than those who did not use SNAP benefits.
Previous studies have looked at the health benefits of the SNAP program in adults and children, but few have looked at direct effects in older adults, the researchers said.
Cognitive aging is a broad way of characterizing age-related changes in the ability to think, learn, remember, plan, and solve problems.
Brain aging is a natural process that occurs for various reasons.
Hormones and proteins that stimulate neuron growth and repair and protect brain cells decline over time. Blood flow to the brain can also decrease and that ages you. Also, the hippocampus, the part of the brain that helps retrieve memories, can deteriorate with age, studies show.
Health problems like high blood pressure can damage the tiny blood vessels in the areas of the brain responsible for memory and thinking.
Scientists also believe that lifestyle factors such as stress, exercise, and socioeconomic status can influence how a person’s brain ages.
In general, people who are eligible for SNAP may already be at risk for poor brain aging due to financial insecurity. To qualify for the program, they must meet three criteria: a gross monthly income that is generally at or below 130% of the poverty line; a net income at or below the poverty line; and assets of $2,750 or less for persons age 60 or older or who have a disability, or $4,250 or less for a household.
The new study involved data from the Health and Retirement Study, a program supported by the National Institute on Aging. Those scientists measured the memory function of 3,555 people aged 50 and older every two years from 1996 to 2016.
Improving nutritional intake, overall food safety, all of these have been linked to better cognitive functioning.
–Zeki Al Hazzouri, Columbia University
The participants had an average age of 66, and almost 3,000 of them were eligible to receive SNAP benefits to pay for food, but only 559 participated in the program.
The researchers measured people’s memory by having them complete thinking and memory tests, such as remembering lists of words. They were also asked about what they could remember from their daily life.
Participants using SNAP benefits had more chronic health conditions and lower incomes at the start of the study. They also had lower memory scores at the start of the study than those who didn’t use the benefits. However, over the study period, their memories declined more slowly than the memories of those who did not take advantage of the benefits.
“Our findings suggested that among SNAP-eligible adults, nonusers experienced 1.74 to 2.33 more (excess) years of cognitive aging over a 10-year period compared with users,” the researchers write.
The study doesn’t explain what caused these differences, but co-author Adina Zeki Al Hazzouri has some ideas.
“Improving nutritional intake, overall food safety, all of these have been linked to better cognitive functioning,” said Zeki Al Hazzouri, an assistant professor of epidemiology at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. “When you have this extra money to spend on food, you’ll free up another huge amount of money that you could use for something else. Reducing financial stress could also potentially help with brain function because we’ve shown that if you’re feeling financially stressed, it would affect the integrity of the brain”.
Nationwide, about 4.8 million people over the age of 60 are enrolled in the SNAP program, according to the National Council on Aging, less than half of those who are eligible. The number has been declining, recent studies have shown.
Encouraging eligible seniors to participate in the SNAP program could have a big effect on people as they age, Zeki Al Hazzouri said. It could even improve the cognitive health of tens of thousands of older people.
Part of the challenge may lie in the enrollment process and required paperwork, according to studies. It could be particularly difficult for people who already have problems related to aging. Some may avoid applying for benefits because there is a certain stigma attached to needing the program, Zeki Al Hazzouri said.
“I just hope that more people feel like this is a program they should use if they’re eligible, because of the clear benefits they’d get from using SNAP, and potentially this could be the same for other similar programs” like WIC and unemployment benefits.
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