Gaby
A new study finds that middle-aged people who take adult education courses have a 19% lower risk of developing dementia over five years. Puzzles, Sudoku, and some video games are already known to help guard against Alzheimer’s disease. The new research suggests that learning a language or picking up new skills can also be beneficial.
Adult Education Courses Reduce Dementia Risk
Researchers analyzed data from 282,000 British volunteers aged 40 to 69 who were followed for seven years. Participants received a personalized dementia risk assessment based on their DNA and reported whether they had attended any adult education classes.
They took a series of cognitive tests, including reaction-time and memory assessments. Over the follow-up period, 1.1% of participants developed dementia.
The analysis showed that people who were attending adult education courses at the start of the study had a 19% lower risk of developing dementia than those who were not. They also preserved fluid intelligence—the ability to learn, evaluate, and handle new situations—and nonverbal reasoning, the skill of solving problems presented as diagrams or images, better than participants who did not take classes.
Dr. Hikaru Takeuchi told the Daily Mail that the findings highlight the importance of attending adult-education courses, which were linked to a reduced dementia risk over five years. Co-author Dr. Ryuta Kawashima said that engaging in intellectual activities may positively affect the nervous system and help prevent dementia. Other experts are calling for more research to confirm any protective effects of adult education.
A Bit About Dementia
Dementia is an umbrella term for neurological disorders that affect memory, thinking, and behavior. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type, though some people may have a combination of different types. Symptoms and progression vary from person to person.
Dementia is a global concern. In the UK alone, more than 900,000 people are living with dementia, and estimates suggest that number could rise to 1.6 million by 2040.
The risk of developing dementia increases with age, and there is currently no cure. That makes the Japanese study on the impact of adult education courses especially important.
