Why Reading Keeps the Brain Healthy

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Ralph Waldo Emerson once said: “If we encounter a man of rare intellect, we should ask him what books he reads.” Good morning Ma’am, Chairman, Ladies and Gentleman and fellow debaters. I am Annerike du Plessis ,the third speaker of the proposing team and my team and I Feel strongly that reading books is much better that watching television. Reading keeps the brain healthy with age and prevents Alzheimer’s. In the newspaper article : Reading keeps the brain healthy with age, Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News on the 11th of October 2011 Clerks at the Brunswick-Glynn County Library states they know Evelyn Connell very well. Like clockwork, the Brunswick resident stops by the library every other week, checking out as many books as she can carry. Last week, she signed out 14. At age 71, Connell is an active reader with a sharp mind. She is quick on her feet, clever and vivacious. She loves the TV trivia show "Jeopardy!" and usually knows most of the answers. She can do several tasks at once and has a mind like a steel trap. Her spryness and spunk are likely due to how active she keeps her brain, she speculates. Overwhelming research has shown that older citizens who keep their minds sharp and active are more likely to retain a higher level of brain power as they age. Keeping the brain active through exercises like reading regularly is vital to preventing memory loss and reduced brain function, said Janice Vickers, executive director of Alzheimer's of Glynn in Brunswick. "There is no question that reading can maintain a healthy brain as you age," Vickers said. "The saying is true: If you don't use it, you lose it.” Doing puzzles and reading books have been linked with a decreased risk of Alzheimer's disease, and a new study may explain why — it reduces the accumulation of harmful proteins in the brain.In the study, older adults who said they engaged in
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