Regular Internet usage appears to be associated with a lower risk of dementia in older adults. This is the conclusion of a study by researchers from the US which followed more than 18,154 late middle-aged adults for up to 17 years. The team believe that spending time online can help build up people’s reserve of thinking abilities — therefore shielding them from the effects of ageing and disease.
Dementia is an umbrella term given to a series of disorders that are caused by abnormal changes in the brain.
It manifests as a decline in cognitive abilities and a loss of memory, and can alter people’s behaviour and feelings.
In the UK, it is estimated that more than 900,000 people live with dementia — a figure that is projected to rise to 1.6 million by the end of the next decade.
It is estimated that around 60–80 percent of all cases of dementia stem from Alzheimer’s disease, which is caused by an accumulation of harmful proteins within the brain.
The new research was undertaken by public health expert Dr Virginia Chang and her colleagues at New York University.
Dr Chang said: “Online engagement may help to develop and maintain cognitive reserve, which in turn can compensate for brain ageing and the risk of dementia.”
In their study, the team examined health and behavioural data on 18,154 US adults recruited into the University of Michigan’s ongoing Health and Retirement Study (HRS).
Each of the subjects were dementia-free and aged between 50–65 at the start of the study period, which began in 2002.
As part of the HRS, participants were asked about their level of internet use every other year — with follow-ups lasting an average of nearly 8 years and a maximum of around 17 years.
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Over the course of the study period, 4.68 percent of participants were found to have been diagnosed with dementia.
The team used statistical analyses to explore whether there was an association between the onset of dementia and baseline internet usage.
They also examined the relationships between internet usage and demographic factors like education, race/ethnicity, sex, and generational age.
Finally, the researchers analysed whether the risk of dementia might vary by the cumulative amount of regular internet usage, as “to see if starting or continuing usage in old age modulates subsequent risk.”
The findings, the team said, revealed that “regular internet usage was associated with approximately half the risk of dementia compared to non-regular usage.
“The difference in risk between regular and non-regular users did not vary by educational attainment, race–ethnicity, sex, [or] generation.”
Furthermore, they noted, “additional periods of regular usage were associated with significantly reduced dementia risk
“Being a regular internet user for longer periods in late adulthood was associated with delayed cognitive impairment, although further evidence is needed on potential adverse effects of excessive usage.”.
The full findings of the study were published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
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