Engaging in intellectually stimulating activities throughout life, such as reading, writing, and learning new languages, can reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease by nearly 40%, according to a new study published in the journal Neurology.
Researchers from Rush University Medical Centre in Chicago tracked 1,939 individuals, average age 80, over eight years. None had dementia at the start. The study assessed cognitive enrichment across childhood, mid-life, and late life, including factors like access to books, library membership, and cultural activities.
After adjusting for age, sex, and education, those in the top 10% for lifetime cognitive enrichment had a 38% lower risk of Alzheimer's and a 36% lower risk of mild cognitive impairment compared to the bottom 10%. They also developed Alzheimer's five years later and mild cognitive impairment seven years later on average.
Lead author Dr Andrea Zammit said: 'Our findings suggest that cognitive health in later life is strongly influenced by lifelong exposure to intellectually stimulating environments.' Dr Isolde Radford of Alzheimer's Research UK added: 'This supports what we already know about preventative steps people can take to reduce their risk of dementia.'
