60-year-old socially active people face a lower risk of dementia

Being more socially active in your fifties and sixties predict a lower risk of developing dementia later, finds a new study conducted by UCL

The longitudinal study, published in PLOS Medicine, reports the strongest evidence to date that social contacts earlier in life could play an important role in the fight against dementia.

"Dementia is a major global health problem: One million people are expected to have dementia in the UK by 2021, but we also know that one in three is potentially preventable," he said. Dr. Andrew Sommerlad (UCL, lead author of the study)).

"We found here that social contacts, in the middle and late ages, seemed to reduce the risk of dementia.This result could fuel strategies to reduce the risk of developing dementia for everyone, adding a reason additional to promote connected communities and find ways to reduce isolation and loneliness. "

The research team used data from the Whitehall II study to track 10,228 participants surveyed six times between 1985 and 2013 on their frequency of social contact with their friends and loved ones. The same participants also performed cognitive tests from 1997 and researchers looked at the electronic health records of the subjects of the study until 2017 to see if they had ever been diagnosed with dementia.

For the badysis, the research team examined the relationships between 50, 60, and 70-year-old social contacts and the subsequent incidence of dementia, as well as whether social contacts were related to cognitive decline after taking into account other factors such as education, employment, marital relations. status and socio-economic status.

The researchers found that an increase in social contacts at age 60 was badociated with a significantly lower risk of developing dementia later in life. The badysis showed that a person who saw friends almost every day at the age of 60 was 12% less likely to develop dementia than someone who only saw them. One or two friends every few months.

They also found strong badociations between social contact at age 50 and 70 and later dementia; Although these badociations have not reached statistical significance, researchers say that social contacts at any age might have a similar impact on reducing the risk of dementia.

Social contact in the middle of the end of life was correlated in a way similar to general cognitive measures.

Previous studies have linked social contact to the risk of dementia, but their follow-up has not been as long. They could not therefore rule out the possibility that the beginnings of cognitive decline might have caused people to see less, than the opposite. The long follow-up of this study reinforces the evidence that social engagement could protect people from dementia in the long run.

The researchers say that there is some explanation as to how social contact could reduce the risk of dementia.

"Socially engaged people exercise cognitive skills such as memory and language, which can help them develop a cognitive reserve, and even if it does not prevent their brain from changing, the cognitive reserve could help people better cope with the effects of age and delay symptoms of dementia, "said Professor Gill Livingston (UCL Psychiatry), lead author.

"Spending more time with friends can also be beneficial for mental wellness and can be correlated with physical activity, which can also reduce the risk of developing dementia," said Professor Livingston, who had previously led a major international study describing the determinants of the course of life. that affect the risk of dementia.

The researchers were supported by Wellcome and the UCLH Biomedical Research Center of the National Institute for Health Research, while the Whitehall II study is supported by the National Institutes of Health of the United States. United States, the UK Medical Research Council and the British Heart Foundation.

The study was conducted by researchers from the UCL Psychiatry, Epidemiology and Public Health UCL, the Camden & Islington NHS Trust Foundation, and the University of Waterloo. l & # 39; Inserm.

Kalpa Kharicha, Head of Innovation, Policy and Research at the Campaign for the Eradication of Loneliness, said: "We welcome these results which show the benefits of frequent social contacts in the end / through age on the risk of dementia In the United States, almost half of British adults report that their busy lives prevent them from connecting to other people, and it is important to make changes to our daily lives so that we take the time necessary to communicate with others.wellness and connectivity may have to fight social isolation, loneliness and reduce the risk of dementia. "

Fiona Carragher, Director of Policy and Research at the Alzheimer Society, said, "We need to consider many factors before we can definitively confirm whether social isolation is a risk factor or an early sign of However, this study is a step in We are proud to support a work that helps us better understand the disease – only through research will we be able to understand the true causes of dementia and the best way to prevent it.

"While the number of people with dementia in the UK is expected to reach one million by 2021, we must do everything in our power to reduce our risks. alcohol and quit, we encourage locals from all over the country to get out in the sun and do something active with your family and friends.

"The government's recent focus on prevention in health is a welcome opportunity to reduce the risk of dementia across society, and we need to see ministers prioritize better support initiatives. to help people reduce the risk of dementia and look forward to seeing this when the results of the Green Paper on Prevention are released later in the year. "