According to the study conducted by researchers from Cardiff University and King's College in London, there exists a strong association between late retirement and the onset of Alzheimer's disease, a degenerative and terminal neurological disorder.
Details of the study
Clinical records of 1,320 “probable” Alzheimer patients, including 382 men, were scrutinized for the purpose.
Besides overall health records of the patients, researchers also tracked their working patterns, enlisting their retirement dates. In the study, the average age of retirement for the men was 63.3 years.
Revelations of the study
People who retired late developed Alzheimer's at a later stage than those who retreated from work early.
In men, every additional year of employment delayed the onset of dementia symptoms by nearly six weeks, researchers found. The average age of onset of Alzheimer’s in the study was 75.6 years, they revealed.
However, unlike earlier studies, quality and duration of education or the type of work had no impact on the age of onset of the Alzheimer's disease, researchers highlighted.
Keeping the mind active for as long as possible (65 or beyond) was the key to postponing cognitive decline.
“The intellectual stimulation that older people gain from the workplace may prevent a decline in mental abilities, thus keeping people above the threshold for dementia for longer,” study’s co-author, Simon Lovestone, scientific adviser to the Alzheimer’s Research Trust asserted.
But there could be several factors forcing an early retirement, including an ill health. Hypertension, diabetes or cardio ailments may all heighten the risk of dementia, researchers said.
“The best way to reduce your risk of dementia is to combine keeping physically active, with eating a balanced diet and getting your blood pressure and cholesterol checked regularly,” researchers recommended.
The findings of the study feature in the latest issue of the International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry.
About Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease, the most common form of dementia, is a degenerative and terminal disease with no known cause. Characterized by a decline in cognitive function, typical symptoms of Alzheimer's include confusion, anger, mood swings, language breakdown and long-term memory loss.
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