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Staying active online may help stave off dementia

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Peer-reviewed: This work was reviewed and scrutinised by relevant independent experts.

Observational study: A study in which the subject is observed to see if there is a relationship between two or more things (eg: the consumption of diet drinks and obesity). Observational studies cannot prove that one thing causes another, only that they are linked.

People: This is a study based on research using people.

US scientists say being active online may help stave off dementia. They followed 18,154 adults aged 50 - 65, none of whom had dementia at the start of the study, for an average of 7.9 years. Over the period, 4.68% of the participants were diagnosed with dementia. The team found regular use of the internet was linked with a halving of dementia risk, compared to those who didn't get online regularly. The link held, even after educational attainment, race-ethnicity, sex, and generation were taken into account. Although this type of study cannot show that regular internet use actually caused the reduction in dementia risk, the authors say online engagement may help to develop and maintain cognitive reserve, which can compensate for brain aging and reduce the risk of dementia.

Journal/conference: Journal of the American Geriatrics Society

Link to research (DOI): 10.1111/jgs.18394

Organisation/s: New York University, USA

Funder: This work did not receive any funding. The HRS (Health and Retirement Study) is sponsored by the National Institute on Aging (grant number NIA U01AG009740) and is conducted by the University of Michigan.

Media release

From: Wiley

Can internet usage help protect against dementia?

New research published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society found a link between regular use of the internet and a lower risk of dementia.

For the study, investigators followed 18,154 dementia-free adults aged 50 to 64.9 years for a median of 7.9 years and a maximum of 17.1 years. During follow-up, 4.68% of participants were diagnosed with dementia.

Regular internet usage was associated with approximately half the risk of dementia compared with non-regular usage. This link was found regardless of educational attainment, race-ethnicity, sex, and generation.

“Online engagement may help to develop and maintain cognitive reserve, which can in turn compensate for brain aging and reduce the risk of dementia,” said corresponding author Virginia W. Chang, MD, PhD, of New York University.

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