Doing daily crosswords ‘improves brain health’

People who do daily crosswords or puzzles have sharper brains in later life, a study suggests.

Experts analysed data from more than 17,000 healthy people aged 50 and over submitted in an online trial. The team at the University of Exeter Medical School and Kings College London asked participants how frequently they played word puzzles.

The study, one of the largest of its kind, used tests from the Cogtracktm and Protect online cognitive test systems to assess core aspects of brain function.

They found that the more regularly participants engaged with puzzles, the better they performed on tasks assessing attention, reasoning and memory.

Researchers calculate that people who engage in word puzzles have brain function equivalent to ten years younger than their age.