People become confused more easily as they age because they succumb to distractions and not because their brains are slowing down, a small-scale American study suggests.

Scientists found that the reason older people took longer to complete simple tasks was that they found it more difficult to filter out irrelevant information and concentrate fully on the matter in hand. The findings help explain why many people start to show signs of mental decline in their 60s even if they are free of dementia or any other disease.

Previously, it had been believed that the decline in brain function with age was due to a kind of “rusting” that resulted in a decline in brain processing speed.

“Older adults take slightly longer to ignore distractions and during that brief delay the irrelevant information interferes with important items that they want to remember,” the director of the Neuroscience Imaging Center at the University of California, San Francisco, Adam Gazzaley, said.

The study involved about 50 people — half in their 20s and half in their 60s — watching a series of images of faces and scenes. They were asked to push a button if they had seen a face or scene before and researchers monitored the speed and accuracy of their performance using a technique called electroencephalography, which picks up electrical signals on the surface of the brain.

Fish Oil May Reduce Heart Failure

A capsule of fish oils once a day could reduce the risk of death in patients with heart failure by up to 14%, an Italian study has found.

The study has found that patients who took capsules of omega 3, a polyunsaturated fatty acid, were less likely to die or require hospital treatment for heart problems than those who took a placebo.

The capsules contained 1,000mg of omega 3, which is known to be good for the heart as it helps improve the elasticity of blood vessels, reduce inflammation and promotes a good rhythm. Omega 3 is present in cod liver oil and is found naturally in fish such as salmon and mackerel.

Across the group of almost 7,000 participants, there was a 9% reduced risk of death in those using fish oils. But when the researchers looked at 5,000 patients who followed the once-daily regime more closely, the risk of death was reduced by 14%.

Take the Stairs: It Could Save Your Life

Taking the stairs instead of the elevator could reduce the risk of dying young by 15%, a study in Switzerland has suggested.

Researchers from the University of Geneva carried out a small study on 69 employees at the university who had a sedentary lifestyle, defined as less than two hours of exercise or sport a week and fewer than 10 flights of stairs climbed a day. Measurements were taken of their lung capacity, waist circumference, body fat, blood pressure, and cholesterol. They were asked to use only stairs and not lifts in their daily routine.

After 12 weeks, the measurements were repeated. The health of the participants was found to have improved across all factors. This equated to a 15% reduction in the chances of dying prematurely, the authors said.

The Daily Telegraph