What does internet usage have to do with dementia?

A new study, involving 18,154 dementia-free adults aged between 50 and 64.9 years, has found a link between regular use of the internet and a lower risk of dementia.

Researchers followed these adults for a median of 7.9 years and a maximum of 17.1 years. During follow-up, 4.68% of participants were diagnosed with dementia.

Regular internet usage was associated with approximately half the risk of dementia compared with non-regular usage. This link was found regardless of educational attainment, race/ethnicity, sex and generation.

“Online engagement may help to develop and maintain cognitive reserve, which can in turn compensate for brain aging and reduce the risk of dementia,” said corresponding author Virginia W. Chang, MD, PhD, of New York University.

Published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, the study found that being a regular internet user for longer periods in late adulthood is associated with delayed cognitive impairment.

“Since a person’s online engagement may include a wide range of activities, future research may identify different patterns of internet usage associated with the cognitively healthy lifespan while being mindful of the potential side effects of excessive usage,” the authors wrote.

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