Researchers find puzzles help keep the brain sharp

Older adults who regularly do word and number puzzles have sharper brains, according to a study.

The more regularly adults aged 50 and over attempted puzzles such as crosswords and Sudoku, the better their brain function.

Academics at Exeter University and King’s College London carried out research into more than 19,000 participants who completed a survey.

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

From their results, researchers calculated that people who engage in word puzzles have a brain function equivalent to 10 years younger than their age, on tests assessing grammatical reasoning, and eight years younger than their age on tests measuring short-term memory.

Study leader Dr Anne Corbett, of Exeter University’s Medical School, said: “We’ve found that the more regularly people engage with puzzles such as crosswords and Sudoku, the sharper their performance is across a range of tasks assessing memory, attention and reasoning.”