Later Retirement ‘May Stave off Dementia’ say Researchers

By Rebecca Smith, The Telegraph

May 18, 2009

United Kingdom 

British scientists studied 1,320 people with dementia and looked at their past education, employment and retirement history.

Although there was no link with education or employment, the people who retired later developed dementia later.

It is thought the mental stimulation may help delay the effects of dementia or it may be that people who retire earlier do so for ill health which itself contributes to the development of dementia symptoms.

The study published in the International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry found on average with every extra year of employment the age of onset of Alzheimer's Disease became 0.13 years later.

The Institute of Psychiatry at King's College London study, funded by the Alzheimer's Research Trust.

Prof Simon Lovestone, Scientific Adviser to the Alzheimer's Research Trust and the paper's co-author, said: "The intellectual stimulation that older people gain from the workplace may prevent a decline in mental abilities, thus keeping people above the threshold for dementia for longer. Much more research is needed if we are to understand how to effectively delay, or even prevent, dementia."

Rebecca Wood, Chief Executive of the Alzheimer's Research Trust, which funded the study, said: "More people than ever retire later in life to avert financial hardship, but there may be a silver lining: lower dementia risk. Much more research into lifestyle factors is needed if we are to whittle down the £17 billion a year that dementia costs our economy."

There are 700,000 people in Britain with dementia and the majority have Alzheimer's Disease.

Dr Susanne Sorensen, Head of Research at the Alzheimer's Society, said: "There could be a number of reasons why later retirement in men is linked with later onset of dementia. Men who retire early often do so because of health conditions, such as hypertension or diabetes, which increase your risk of dementia. It could also be that working helps keep your mind and body active, which may reduce risk of dementia.

"The best way to reduce your risk of dementia is to combine keeping physically active, with eating a balanced diet and getting your blood pressure and cholesterol checked regularly. One million people will develop dementia in the next 10 years. Investing in research into how to prevent dementia is vital if we are to defeat this devastating condition."

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