If you want your brain to stay young, raise kids

The loss of sleep, emotional drain and everyday stresses of being a parent appear to be outweighed by long-term benefits, as suggested by a growing body of research on the health impact of parenthood. Photo: JULIAN STRATENSCHULTE/dpa

Having children appears to prevent brain ageing, going by a study of around 37,000 people carried out by scientists at Rutgers University in the United States.

In a paper published by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in the US, the researchers explained they had found that parenthood plays a "protective role" when it comes to "age-related brain function in mid- to late-life."