Have a complicated job and avoid too much TV to beat dementia

By The Press Association21st July 2015News EnglandAlzheimers, Dementia, News England, Older People, Research

Having a complicated job and doing well at school have both been linked to a lower risk of dementia, while loneliness, excessive TV watching and low levels of physical activity could accelerate cognitive decline in later life.

The research was presented at an international conference on Alzheimer’s in the United States, which is also due to hear the results from trials on the first drug, Solanezumab, that is thought could halt the progression of the disease if caught early enough.

Delegates have already heard about a study which looked at 7,500 people aged 65 and over in Sweden over 20 years, UK charity Alzheimer’s Society said.

Dementia rates were 21% higher in those whose school grades were in the bottom fifth of the population, while they were 23% lower among those with complex occupations involving data and numbers.

A second study saw 440 people aged 75 or over, also in Sweden, who were followed over nine years.

Those in the bottom fifth for school grades were found to have a 50% increase in the risk of developing dementia over the course of the study.

Meanwhile, participants who reported complex jobs involving working with people had 60% lower risk of dementia, but this was only true in women.

The Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in Washington DC also heard how two-yearly assessments of more than 8,300 over 65s participating in the US Health and Retirement Study found that the loneliest people involved also had accelerated cognitive decline – approximately 20% faster – than people who were not lonely.

Another US study of more than 3,200 adults aged 18 to 30 years over 25 years found participants who consistently reported low levels of physical activity (under 150 minutes of medium intensity exercise per week) or watched more than four hours of TV a day had significantly lower performance on the cognitive tests in middle age.

Those who reported both low physical activity and high television viewing were almost two times more likely to have poor cognitive function at the end of the study.

The conference is also expected to hear details of the first drug that could halt the progression of Alzheimer’s disease, if caught early enough.

Trials have been ongoing into a new treatment called Solanezumab which appears to stop the degenerative brain disease in its tracks

Dr Clare Walton, research manager at Alzheimer’s Society, said: “Dementia is caused by diseases that damage the brain, but how the extent of damage relates to the severity of symptoms can vary greatly between individuals.

“These studies add to a growing body of evidence which shows the number of years of education we receive, and the complexity of our jobs, may help our brains by building up a ‘cognitive reserve’ to help us withstand this damage.

“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. 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.”

“Our research has previously shown that people with dementia are more likely to experience loneliness, but it is not clear whether loneliness is a risk factor for dementia or a consequence of having the condition.”