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Later retirement linked to lower risk of Alzheimer’s, study shows

Keep working, keep mentally active, keep Alzheimer’s disease away.  Workers who postpone retirement are less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia known to affect the elderly than those who leave their jobs at age 60, a recent survey of nearly half a million European retirees shows.

The study looked at health and insurance records of more than 429,000 former workers in France and found that the risk of developing dementia declined with each additional year worked beyond an average retirement age.

The data show strong evidence of a significant decrease in the risk of developing dementia associated with older age at retirement, in line with the ‘use it or lose it’ hypothesis. 

The study showed there was a 14 percent reduction in Alzheimer’s detection in workers who retired at age 65 over those who retired at 60.

The study appeared to be an extension of an established belief among medical professionals that intellectual and physical activity helps stave off mental deterioration in the elderly, but more research was needed.

Alzheimer’s is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States, according to the Alzheimer’s Association website. About 5.2 million Americans currently live with the disease, with 5 million over the age of 65 diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and 200,000 suffering from a younger-onset form of the disease.