Active brain key to preventing dementia

Having a demanding job can help stave off dementia later in life, a study has found.

Having a demanding job can help stave off dementia later in life, a study has found.

Published Jul 9, 2014

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London - Having a demanding job can help stave off dementia later in life, a study has found.

Keeping your brain active throughout your lifetime, both at work and by enjoying stimulating hobbies, can delay mental decline by as much as nine years.

Doctors have long said training your brain in later years can prevent dementia, but this is the first time mental activity earlier in life has been found to have a significant effect.

In the study of 2 000 people, published in JAMA Neurology journal, the most beneficial hobbies included reading, having an active social life and using a computer regularly. Dr Prashanthi Vemuri, who led the research at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, said the findings could help “to reduce the impending dementia epidemic.” - Daily Mail

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