Physical and Cognitive Function Have Improved Significantly in Three Decades, Study Finds

A study published in The Journals of Gerontology: Series A found men and women ages 75 to 80 have better muscle strength, walking and reaction speed, verbal fluency, reasoning, and working memory than they did three decades ago, reports the Atlanta Journal-Constitution . Researchers compared the physical and cognitive performance of people between 75 and 80 with that of the same-age people in the 1990s. "Higher physical activity and increased body size explained the better walking speed and muscle strength among the later-born cohort, whereas the most important underlying factor behind the cohort differences in cognitive performance was longer education," said the University of Jyväskylä's Kaisa Koivunen. Fellow researcher Matti Munukka added that improved nutrition and hygiene, healthcare and the school system, working life, and better accessibility to education factor into these trends. "Increased life expectancy provides us with more non-disabled years, but at the same time, the last years of life comes at higher and higher ages, increasing the need for care," said Jyväskylä Professor Taina Rantanen. "Among the aging population, two simultaneous changes are happening: continuation of healthy years to higher ages and an increased number of very old people who need external care."