A mentally stimulating job could postpone the onset of dementia by 1.5 years, says report

Every year, around 10 million people are diagnosed with dementia and, worldwide, around 50 million people are living with this debilitating condition. Globally, it is one of the biggest causes of disability among older people. As life expectancy increases, particularly in medium- and low-income economies, the incidence of dementia increases, too.

Symptoms include failing memory, problems with emotional control and a general deterioration in cognitive performance, behaviour and the ability to carry out everyday activities.

Typically triggered by illnesses like Alzheimer’s disease or strokes, dementia is far more prevalent in older people, but is not considered a normal part of the ageing process.

Active minds

There may also be a link between the way you spent your working life and your risk of developing dementia as you get older.

A study led by epidemiologist Mika Kivimäki of the UK’s University College London, examined data from 107,896 participants to assess whether people with more intellectually stimulating jobs face a lower dementia risk than those working in less cognitively demanding roles. Their report, Cognitive stimulation in the workplace, plasma proteins, and risk of dementia: three analyses of population cohort studies, was published in the British Medical Journal.

It concludes that the risk of dementia in old age was: “Lower in individuals with cognitively stimulating jobs than in those with non-stimulating jobs.” While it won’t necessarily prevent dementia, mental stimulation may delay its onset by around a year and a half, the report says.

One possible explanation seems to be that lower levels of plasma proteins were found in samples taken from study participants who performed more cognitively stimulating activities. These proteins may inhibit the development of healthy brain function.

Active bodies

Other recent studies have highlighted the importance of physical fitness, too. Researchers at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology have studied data from more than 30,000 people, looking at their changing fitness levels.

Their findings indicate that people who stayed fit throughout the duration of the study period were around 50% less likely to develop dementia than those who were the least fit. The really good news is that those who started out unfit and then became fitter over time saw the same levels of risk-decline.

A separate study in Canada took three groups of sedentary ‘older adults’, then watched what happened when they exercised. A control group did stretching. Another group did moderate continuous exercise, while the third did high-intensity interval training.

Through a series of memory tests, the researchers from the McMaster University in Ontario found those who exercised more had improved cognitive performance – indicating that it is never too late to get active and accrue some benefits.