Research conducted at Rush University has found that frequent social activity can help prevent or delay dementia in old age. The study, published online in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association, analyzed data from over 1,900 older adults who were free of cognitive impairment.
The researchers discovered that those who engaged in six common social activities regularly had a 38% lower risk of developing dementia and a 21% lower risk of mild cognitive impairment. In contrast, the least socially active individuals developed dementia an average of five years before the most socially active ones.
Social activity has been shown to strengthen neural circuits in the brain, making them more resistant to age-related pathology. This is because social behavior activates areas of the brain involved in thinking and memory. The findings highlight the value of social activity as a possible community-level intervention for reducing dementia.
The study suggests that increasing social activity could lead to significant benefits, including a five-year delay in dementia onset, which would yield an additional three years of life and $500,000 in lifetime health care savings per person. Future research is needed to determine whether interventions aimed at boosting late-life social activity can play a role in delaying or preventing cognitive decline.
The researchers used a questionnaire to measure social activity and found that those who engaged in more social activities had better cognitive function. The study controlled for other factors, such as age, physical exercise, and health, which did not significantly affect the results.
Source: https://www.rush.edu/news/being-social-may-delay-dementia-onset-five-years