Jan 19 2009
‘Brain gyms’ a new industry
From calgaryherald.com:
From video games that claim to sharpen concentration to brain gyms offering mental circuit training, consumers are jumping on the "use it or lose it" notion of brain health in an effort to stave off the effects of aging.
This exploding interest in brain fitness saw consumer sales rocket from an estimated $5 million in 2005 to $80 million in 2007, according to market research firm SharpBrains. But with long-term benefits yet to be proven and brain-boosting labels proliferating on products, experts advise caution.
"The baby boomers, as we all know, are only a year or two from turning 65," says Colin Milner, CEO of the Vancouver-based International Council on Active Aging. "When people are spending money on everything from Botox and butt implants to bleaching of your skin, there’s a lot of stuff taking place around vanity. And there’s nothing more vain than being able to remember who the heck you’re speaking to."
Nintendo’s Brain Age game — which has sold nearly 430,000 copies in Canada since its debut in 2006 — propelled the notion of brain fitness into the mainstream, he says.
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