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Getting older is not something most people look forward to. So, any good news about aging is always welcome. A recent study has found that more years of education lowers the risk of dementia in aging brains. The new results add to a rising number of recent studies in the United States and elsewhere that suggest a downward trend in dementia prevalence. Read about this new study from the University of Michigan in this month’s E-News Exclusive.
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Dementia on the Downslide, Especially Among People With More Education
In a hopeful sign for the health of the nation’s brains, the percentage of American older adults with dementia is dropping, a new study finds.
The downward trend has emerged despite something else the study shows: a rising tide of three factors that are thought to raise dementia risk by interfering with brain blood flow, namely diabetes, high blood pressure, and obesity.
Those with the most years of education had the lowest chances of developing dementia, according to the findings published in JAMA Internal Medicine by a team from the University of Michigan (U-M). This may help explain the larger trend, because today’s elders are more likely to have at least a high school diploma than those in the same age range a decade ago.
With the largest generation in American history now entering the prime years for dementia onset, the new results add to a growing number of recent studies in the United States and other countries that suggest a downward trend in dementia prevalence. These findings may help policy-makers and economic forecasters adjust their predictions for the total impact of Alzheimer’s disease and other conditions.
“Our results, based on in-depth interviews with seniors and their caregivers, add to a growing body of evidence that this decline in dementia risk is a real phenomenon, and that the expected future growth in the burden of dementia may not be as extensive as once thought,” says lead author Kenneth Langa, MD, PhD, a professor in the U-M Medical School, Institute for Social Research, and School of Public Health, and a research investigator at the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System.
Full Story » |
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Study Reveals Older Adults Increasing
Use of Cannabis and Alcohol
According to The Washington Post, the National Survey on Drug Use and Health has found an increase among older adults in the use of marijuana and alcohol, raising concerns about mental health.
Research Shows Pets Help Some People Manage Long-Term Serious Mental Illness
NPR reports on researchers who have found that pets are helping people with long-term serious mental illness deal with the isolation that can come with the condition.
Study Finds Depressive Symptoms
Common Among Airline Pilots
According to the Los Angeles Times, a recent large international survey found that depressive symptoms are common among airline pilots. |
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