Research: Keep working to avoid 'dementia'

Researchers say keeping the brain active later in life is the best way to avoid or delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.

The study was conducted by researchers from the Institute of Psychiatry at King’s College London. They studied 1,320 patients who suffered from dementia, of which 382 were men. Researchers found that men who continue to work after retirement were more likely to have an active brain, which delayed the onset of dementia. About 700,000 people of the 60 million living in the United Kingdom have dementia, and health experts believe it will rise to 1.7 million by the year 2051. Treatment costs the UK economy about £17 billion ($25.87 billion) a year. Scientists have previously found dementia is caused by the loss of cells in the brain. By keeping the brain active, it helps alleviate that loss by building stronger connections between cells. Scientists call this process “cognitive reserve." There is also a strong correlation between good education and reduced dementia risk. The study found those who retired late developed Alzheimer’s very late compared to those who had early retirement. Each additional year of employment helped delay dementia by about six weeks. Dr. John Powell, one of the researchers of the study told the BBC:

"The possibility that a person's cognitive reserve could still be modified later in life adds weight to the "use it or lose it" concept where keeping active later in life has important health benefits, including reducing dementia risk."

Fellow researcher, Professor Simon Lovestone, agrees but wants more research to be done to see how effectively they delay or prevent dementia. Rebecca Wood, chief executive of the Alzheimer's Research Trust, which helped fund the study, told the BBC:

"More people than ever retire later in life to avert financial hardship, but there may be a silver lining - lower dementia risk."

The study is available in the current issue of International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry.