Reading, writing or learning a language could slash the risk of Alzheimer’s by nearly 40 per cent, scientists say.
The findings of a new study suggest that engaging in mentally stimulating activities and lifelong learning may not only significantly reduce the risk of the memory-robbing condition, but delay the disease by more than five years.
Professor Andrea Zammit, a neuropsychologist at the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Centre and study lead, said: ‘Our study looked at cognitive enrichment from childhood to later life, focusing on activities and resources that stimulate the mind.
‘Our findings suggest that cognitive health in later life is strongly influenced by lifelong exposure to intellectually stimulating environments.’
Dementia, of which Alzheimer’s is the most common type, remains one of the most pressing health challenges – with more than 2,500 excess deaths from the condition in England last year.
There is currently no cure. At best, prevention is key to addressing the devastating impact of the disease.
The study, published in Neurology, the journal of the American Academy of Neurology, followed 1,939 healthy 80-year-olds, who were free from dementia.
The participants were followed for around eight years, within which time 551 developed Alzheimer’s, whilst 719 showed signs of mild cognitive impairment.
Keeping your mind active throughout life could slash your risk of Alzheimer’s by nearly 40 per cent
The researchers found that those with the highest amount of lifelong learning – including reading and learning a foreign language – developed the disease five years later than those with the least.
Participants completed surveys about their learning during three distinct life phases.
Early enrichment, before the age of 18, included how often they were read to or read themselves, whether they had access to newspapers and atlases at home, and if they studied a foreign language for more than five years.
Middle age enrichment focused on income level at 40-years-old, household resources including magazine subscriptions, dictionaries and library cards as well as the frequency of museum visits.
From the age of 80, reading, writing and playing games were deemed as mentally stimulating. Total income from social security and retirement were also considered.
From the surveys, researchers calculated enrichment scores for each of the participants.
After adjusting for potentially confounding factors such as age, sex and educations, the researchers concluded that higher scores were associated with a 38 per cent lower risk of Alzheimer’s.
Those with the highest scores were also 36 per cent less likely to show signs of cognitive impairment, compared to those with the lowest level of lifetime enrichment.
Everyone experiences dementia differently. Use this checklist to help you make a note of your symptoms before you talk to your GP.
They also found participants with higher scores tended to develop Alzheimer’s later in life, at around 94-years-old – over five years later than those at the lowest levels.
This was even more pronounced in participants who went on to develop mild cognitive impairments, with high levels of enrichment delaying symptoms by seven years.
The researchers also looked at the brains of participants who died during the study.
They found those who spent more time learning had better memory and thinking skills and slower decline prior to death, even when early brain changes linked to Alzheimer’s – such as the build-up of proteins called amyloid and tau – were accounted for.
Significant clumps of these proteins can form plaques and tangles, which is thought to be behind the symptoms of Alzheimer’s.
The researchers concluded: ‘Our findings are encouraging, suggesting that consistently engaging in a variety of mentally stimulating activities throughout life may make a difference in cognition.’
‘Public investments that expand access to enriching environments, like libraries and early education programs designed to speak a lifelong love of learning may help reduce the incidence of dementia,’ Prof Zammit added.
However, it is important to stress the findings do not prove that lifelong learning decreases the risk of Alzheimer’s; it only shows an association.
The study also relied on participants’ memory of early and midlife experiences, which introduces the possibility of recall bias.
It comes as scientists claimed yesterday to have found the first evidence that a targeted form of brain training can significantly reduce the risk of dementia.
Publishing their findings in the journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia Translational Research & Clinical Interventions, the team found that a specific training exercise, called Double Division, which focuses on divided attention could slash the likelihood of a dementia diagnosis by as a much as 25 per cent.
Together with this new study, the results raise the prospect that lifestyle changes – even when implemented later in life – could delay the disease by years.
In a major consensus report published earlier this year, world-leading experts set out 56-evidence based recommendations aimed at slashing dementia risk – from tackling hearing loss to improving public health messaging and addressing environmental stressors.
The panel is now calling on the Government to urgently reassess its approach to dementia care, warning that without a coordinated national strategy, millions of avoidable cases will continue to develop.
Around 900,000 people are currently living with dementia in the UK, a figure expected to rise to more than 1.6 million by 2040. Dementia is the leading cause of death, accounting for more than 74,000 deaths a year.
This is projected to reach nearly 14 million by 2060, with around 120,000 deaths a year attributed to Alzheimer’s alone.
