BOSTON (AP) — New research boosts the "use it
or lose it" theory about brainpower and staying mentally sharp. People who
delay retirement have less risk of developing Alzheimer's disease or other
types of dementia, a study of nearly half a million people in France found.
It's by far the largest study to
look at this, and researchers say the conclusion makes sense. Working tends to
keep people physically active, socially connected and mentally challenged — all
things known to help prevent mental decline.
"For each additional year of
work, the risk of getting dementia is reduced by 3.2 percent," said Carole
Dufouil, a scientist at INSERM, the French government's health research agency.
She led the study and gave results
Monday at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference in Boston.
About 35 million people worldwide
have dementia, and Alzheimer's is the most common type. In the U.S., about 5
million have Alzheimer's — 1 in 9 people aged 65 and over. What causes the
mind-robbing disease isn't known and there is no cure or any treatments that
slow its progression.
France has had some of the best
Alzheimer's research in the world, partly because its former president, Nicolas
Sarkozy, made it a priority. The country also has detailed health records on
self-employed people who pay into a Medicare-like health system.
Researchers used these records on
more than 429,000 workers, most of whom were shopkeepers or craftsmen such as
bakers and woodworkers. They were 74 on average and had been retired for an
average of 12 years.
Nearly 3 percent had developed
dementia but the risk of this was lower for each year of age at retirement.
Someone who retired at 65 had about a 15 percent lower risk of developing
dementia compared to someone retiring at 60, after other factors that affect
those odds were taken into account, Dufouil said.
To rule out the possibility that
mental decline may have led people to retire earlier, researchers did analyses
that eliminated people who developed dementia within 5 years of retirement, and
within 10 years of it.
"The trend is exactly the
same," suggesting that work was having an effect on cognition, not the
other way around, Dufouil said.
France mandates retirement in
various jobs — civil servants must retire by 65, she said. The new study
suggests "people should work as long as they want" because it may
have health benefits, she said.
June Springer, who just turned 90,
thinks it does. She was hired as a full-time receptionist at Caffi Plumbing
& Heating in Alexandria, Va., eight years ago.
"I'd like to give credit to the
company for hiring me at that age," she said. "It's a joy to work,
being with people and keeping up with current events. I love doing what I do.
As long as God grants me the brain to use I'll take it every day."
Heather Snyder, director of medical
and scientific operations for the Alzheimer's Association, said the study
results don't mean everyone needs to delay retirement.
"It's more staying cognitively
active, staying socially active, continue to be engaged in whatever it is
that's enjoyable to you" that's important, she said.
"My parents are retired but
they're busier than ever. They're taking classes at their local university,
they're continuing to attend lectures and they're continuing to stay
cognitively engaged and socially engaged in their lives."
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AP Medical Writer Lindsey Tanner in
Chicago contributed to this report.
___
Online:
Alzheimer's info:
http://www.alzheimers.gov
Alzheimer's Association:
http://www.alz.org
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