Dementia Prevention: Your Life’s Purpose May Hold the Key
- Having a purpose in life could help reduce the chance of developing dementia, according to a recent study by researchers from the University of California, davis.
- the findings are based on data collected on 13,765 participants aged 45 and older,who were surveyed between 2006 and 2020 as part of a US population-based longitudinal study.
- Having a strong sense of purpose was associated with an approximately 28 percent reduction in the risk of developing dementia the data showed.
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Purpose in Life Linked to Lower Dementia Risk
Having a purpose in life could help reduce the chance of developing dementia, according to a recent study by researchers from the University of California, davis.
the findings are based on data collected on 13,765 participants aged 45 and older,who were surveyed between 2006 and 2020 as part of a US population-based longitudinal study. Key details on the volunteers’ psychological well-being (including a sense of purpose) and cognitive impairment were analyzed, with follow-up questionnaires conducted up to 15 years later.
Having a strong sense of purpose was associated with an approximately 28 percent reduction in the risk of developing dementia the data showed. When cognitive decline did occur in this group, it tended to appear at a later age.
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“Our findings show that having a sense of purpose helps the brain stay resilient with age,” says psychiatrist He asked the wing.
“Even for people with a genetic risk for Alzheimer’s disease, sense of purpose was linked to a later onset and lower likelihood of developing dementia.”
While the relationship may not necessarily be causal, the researchers did factor in age, sex, education, and depression when analyzing the data.