Putting Off Retirement Helps Reduce Risk of Dementia

For those hoping to retire early, a new study shows the dangers of giving up your job too soon. In fact, surmounting evidence shows that engaging in intellectually stimulating activity throughout life may help protect against the development of Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia. 

Lead study author Carole Dufouil, PhD, director of research in neuroepidemiology at INSERM at the Bordeaux School of Public Health in France notes that very few people have actually looked at the connection between retirement and decreased brain activity.

Her team examined health pension databases for 429,803 self-employed workers in France who were living and retired as of December 31, 2010. A total of 11,397 of the retirees had dementia, according to the information.

"In this sample, all other risk factors being equal, those who retired at 65 years old had a 14.6% lower risk of getting dementia than those who retired at 60 years old," she said, via a press release.

"This study provides more evidence to support the 'use it or lose it' mantra; keep your brain active as long as possible to increase your changes of a healthy aging brain," Maria Carrillo, PhD, vice president of medical and scientific relations at the Alzheimer's Association, said, according to Medscape Medical News.

Startling statistics show that approximately 35 million people worldwide have dementia, and Alzheimer's is the most common type. In the United States alone, about 5 million people have Alzheimer's.

Health officials also predict that around 450,000 people will die in 2013 from the disease, according to the Alzheimer's Association.