Cinema and museum trips 'could slow biological aging', study suggests

Cinema and museum trips 'could slow biological aging', study suggests Cultural activities such as visiting the cinema, museum and art galleries linked to having biologically younger and healthier body in a study of 2,000 older Brits Visiting the museum and cinema can slow the aging process similar to regular exercise, research suggests. A study of 2,000 people who took part in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing showed those who took part in such cultural activities had a lower biological age on average. Participants aged over 50 were surveyed on how often they went to places like the cinema, theatre, concerts, art galleries or the opera. Medics also measured 10 physiological markers including body mass index (BMI), grip strength, walking speed and diastolic blood pressure. Those with a higher “cultural engagement” score who did such activities every few months, had a physiological age of 66.9 years, three years lower than those who did so less often. Researchers reporting their findings in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health concluded the impact of engaging with culture "can be comparable" to frequent exercise. Author Dr Yusuke Matsuyama, of the Institute of Science Tokyo in Japan, said: "Community-based cultural activities may also foster greater community involvement. For example, a 10-week museum programme that included curator talks, object handling and discussion, and arts activities improved emotional outcomes such as cheerfulness and feelings of encouragement among socially isolated older adults." Your biological age - a measure that reflects how well the body functions - can be different from your actual chronological age. Other physiological markers measured to assess biological age were pulse pressure, breathing force, haemoglobin concentration in blood and low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. People with higher scores for the amount of cultural events they attend were more likely to be women, be in paid employment and have better health conditions. Wealthier people generally attend more cultural events for a variety of reasons. Therefore researchers attempted to factor this in by controlling for household income and employment status. Researchers said that promoting engagement with culture could be a "promising strategy to slow the pace of physiological ageing and support healthy ageing in older adults". Dr Matsuyama added: "Cultural engagement is modifiable, and thus, it can serve as an effective intervention point for healthy longevity. Notably, the impact can be comparable to frequent physical activity. Increasing geographical and financial accessibility to cultural infrastructure and events would expand opportunities for frequent participation.” Previous observational studies have linked consumption of coffee and dark chocolate with slower biological aging but lots of factors are thought to be involved. Similarly studies in Japan found older adults who engage in artistic and cultural activities had a lower risk of depression and cognitive impairment. The focus on biological age comes as average life expectancy in the UK has started to fall in recent years. Obesity, high blood pressure and rising cholesterol are among the risk factors once more cutting how long we live.