HOUSTON: Two new Alzheimer’s studies suggested that people who did better in high school and hold a complex job have a reduced risk of dementia. In addition, too much TV watching, lack of physical activity, and loneliness were found to be correlated with the condition.
The first study examined and followed over 7,574 participants, age 65 and older, for more than two decades. The researchers found that 950 of the respondents ended up having dementia. Dementia rates were seen to be 21 percent higher among people with high school grades in the bottom fifth of the population, and 23 percent lower in those with complex jobs.
Meanwhile, participants who performed better in high school and held a more complex job reduced their risk of developing dementia by 40 percent.
“If you were in a group at higher risk, then it might be difficult to modulate that risk,” said Kerolinska Institute postdoctoral research follow Serhiy Dekhytar, who authored the study.
“But it’s not deterministic,” Dekhytar added. “We can clearly see that risk can additionally be reduced, just not by as much as if you started with a lower baseline risk.”
He went on to say that older people should still experience positive effects if they stay mentally engaged and socially active.
The second study looked at 440 participants, age 75 and older, for nearly a decade. Researchers discovered a 50 percent increased risk of having dementia among those in the bottom fifth of their class. Women with complex jobs that involved collaborating with other people have reduced their risk of dementia by 60 percent.
“While more research is needed to determine why this happens, we believe that more years in education or more challenging occupations can increase the number of connections between brain cells,” Walton said. “The more existing connections a person has, the more they could potentially afford to lose before the function of their brain is compromised by dementia.”…