Posted on 08/23/2021 8:29:59 AM PDT by ConservativeMind
People with mentally stimulating jobs have a lower risk of dementia in old age than those with non-stimulating jobs, finds a study published by The BMJ today.
One possible explanation is that mental stimulation is linked to lower levels of certain proteins that may prevent brain cells forming new connections (processes called axonogenesis and synaptogenesis).
Cognitive stimulation is assumed to prevent or postpone the onset of dementia. But trial results have varied and most recent long term studies have suggested that leisure time cognitive activity does not reduce risk of dementia.
Exposure to cognitive stimulation at work typically lasts considerably longer than cognitively stimulating hobbies, yet work-based studies have also failed to produce compelling evidence of benefits.
Three associations were examined: cognitive stimulation and dementia risk in 107,896 participants (42% men; average age 45 years) from seven studies from the IPD-Work consortium, a collaborative research project of 13 European cohort studies; cognitive stimulation and proteins in a random sample of 2,261 participants from one study; and proteins and dementia risk in 13,656 participants from two studies.
Cognitive stimulation at work was measured at the start of the study and participants were tracked for an average of 17 years to see if they developed dementia.
Cognitively stimulating "active" jobs include demanding tasks and high job decision latitude (also known as job control), while non-stimulating "passive" jobs are those with low demands and lack of job control.
After adjusting for potentially influential factors, including age, sex, educational attainment, and lifestyle, risk of dementia was found to be lower for participants with high compared with low cognitive stimulation at work (incidence 4.8 per 10,000 person years in the high stimulation group and 7.3 in the low stimulation group).
(Excerpt) Read more at medicalxpress.com ...
Use it or lose it!
Maybe those who are suffering from mental decline are just less likely to be employed in mentally challenging jobs?
...”yet, work based studies have also failed to produce compelling evidence of benefits.
That part of the fourth sentence appears to cancel out any other claims of the headline.
Yes, so make job opportunities available for the aging. And stop the tax punishment for those who earn a little extra money while collecting social security.
Well that explains members of congress!
Prolly needs be challenging, and not just stimulating.
IIRC, the challenge of learning new things fosters new neural pathways which helps to compensate for the diminished paths.
So a greeter at Walmart has no chance. Darn. I was considering applying.
Oh, definitely! My Mom is going to be 84, is TOTALLY engaged in life; I call her The Energizer Bunny! She is busy ALL the time doing all sorts of volunteer work and helping at her church and doing community stuff. She helps me in my garden, weeding and harvesting.
My Dad? Retired at 55 and sat on his butt from that day forward, other than a little traveling around the USA.
He had a slow, horrible mental decline and finally cancer took him.
So, which path do you think I’m following? ;)
That’s exactly what I was going to say
Looking dazed and confused, as usual.
Yes, keep your brain active. But also, eat cauliflower. Exercise. Sit in a sauna 3 times a week (Finnish study of sauna health benefits). Swim (rated best exercise for brain health).
Here I thought all you had to do was those sudoku puzzles.
Maybe genetically smarter, healthier people can work longer than relatively unhealthy people who lose their acuity at an earlier age. (Correlation as opposed to causation?)
Lol! That’s what I was trying to say.
One grandmother did not have any hobbies as far as I know and she ended up with dementia while the other was always doing something like weaving with her loom or playing cards or gardening and was mentally sharp.
Bingo!
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