A simple lifelong practice may delay Alzheimer’s by years
People who spend their lives reading, writing, and learning new things are significantly less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease, and if they do, it tends to happen years later, according to new research published in Neurology, the journal of American Academy of Neurology, Qazinform News Agency correspondent reports.
The study tracked nearly 2,000 adults with an average age of 80 over 8 years, measuring their exposure to mentally stimulating activities across three life stages: childhood, middle age, and later life. Researchers looked at everything - from whether families had newspapers and atlases at home, to library cards in midlife, to how often older adults read or played games.
Results
People in the top 10% for lifetime mental engagement were 38% less likely to develop Alzheimer's and 36% less likely to develop mild cognitive impairment compared to those in the bottom 10%. Even more notable were the timing differences: high-enrichment individuals developed Alzheimer's at an average age of 94, versus 88 for low-enrichment individuals, a gap of 5 years. For mild cognitive impairment, the delay was even longer, at 7 years.
A subset of participants who died during the study and underwent autopsies showed that those with richer mental lives had better thinking and memory skills and declined more slowly, even when their brains showed the same early physical signs of Alzheimer's, such as protein buildup.
The study does not prove that reading and learning cause a lower risk, only that there's a strong association. Researchers also noted that participants had to recall details about their childhoods from memory, which may not always be reliable.
Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported on unexpected link between full-fat dairy products and a lower risk of dementia.
